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DipNote is the official blog of the U.S. Department of State.enThis Week at State: November 16, 2018http://blogs.state.gov/node/33001
node-33001-[delta]Fri, 16 Nov 2018 14:19:37 -0500DipNote Bloggers

Did you miss key foreign policy developments this week? Each week, DipNote recaps the latest U.S. Department of State highlights spanning a wide range of global issues, events, and initiatives in one blog post.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo traveled to Paris, France, November 10-11, where he joined President Donald J. Trump in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of the first World War, including visits to memorial sites and cemeteries to honor our shared sacrifice and reaffirm the Transatlantic Alliance.

100 years after the armistice that ended World War 1, President Trump stood at Suresnes American Cemetery in France to honor the American Marines, soldiers, and Allied Forces who "fought—and they fought through hell—to turn the tide of the war.” https://t.co/A68ueVC88upic.twitter.com/8zDVJmYleX

It is a humble honor to join @POTUS, @EmmanuelMacron and leaders from around the world to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I and to pay tribute to the service members who sacrificed everything to protect our cherished freedoms. #Armistice100pic.twitter.com/8yVjYgT6Rm

From November 12-16, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education celebrated International Education Week (IEW). Throughout the week, both organizations encouraged Americans to seek opportunities to study abroad and welcome international students to study in the United States.

"Nothing can replace the people to people connections that happen when our young people study abroad.

Deputy Secretary John J. Sullivan traveled to Japan, Singapore, Australia, and Papua New Guinea from November 11-18. In Japan, the Deputy Secretary met with Japanese Vice Minister Takeo Akiba. Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert gave an update on the Deputy Secretary's travels in a briefing to the press on November 13:

The Deputy Secretary also accompanied Vice President Michael R. Pence to the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit in Singapore, as well as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Papua New Guinea. On the margins of the East Asia Summit, Deputy Secretary Sullivan met with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumaxay and Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn.

In a November 12 statement, Spokesperson Nauert condemned the recent elections facilitated in Russia-controlled Eastern Ukraine.

The U.S. joins our European Allies and partners in condemning the November 11 sham “elections” in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine. We have spoken with one voice against yesterday’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. pic.twitter.com/ln7pVEOaSC

On November 13, Ambassador Nathan Sales delivered remarks at the Washington Institute’s Counterterrorism Lecture Series regarding Hizballah and Iran’s sponsorship of global terrorism. Ambassador Sales also gave remarks at the November 13 Department Press Briefing.

.@StateDeptCT Ambassador Sales: #Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism...The resources that Iran uses to fund its global terrorist ambitions are resources that come directly out of the pockets of everyday, average Iranians. pic.twitter.com/zIaQkVg0lY

"Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism...The resources Iran uses to fund its global terrorist campaign come directly out of the pockets of ordinary Iranians.”

- Ambassador Sales

Overseas Security Advisory Council Hosts 33rd Annual Briefing

On November 14, 2018, the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) hosted 1,500 private sector security professionals at its 33rd annual briefing in Washington, DC. This year’s theme was “Protecting Your Organization in a Changing World.”

The United States and United Kingdom Hold Strategic Dialogue

The United States and the United Kingdom held the U.S.-UK Strategic Dialogue in Washington on November 14, co-chaired by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and UK Political Director Richard Moore.

U.S. and the Netherlands Launch the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Summit

On November 15, during Global Entrepreneurship Week, the United States of America and the Kingdom of the Netherlands officially launched the ninth annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which will be held June 4-5, 2019 at the World Forum in The Hague, Netherlands.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi Arabian individuals for serious human rights abuse in the killing of Jamal #Khashoggi. @StateDept will continue to seek all relevant facts, consult Congress, and work with other nations to hold accountable those involved in this killing.

On October 22, 2018, in Seoul, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Harry Harris, and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa agreed to renew a flagship exchange program, known as WEST, between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Harry Harris and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa agree to renew the WEST program on October 22, 2018.

Established in 2008, the Work, English Study, Travel, or WEST, Program is an Exchange Visitor program that offers qualifying university students and recent university graduates from the ROK the opportunity to study English in a structured setting, participate in career-based internships, and travel in the United States. Although the U.S. component of the program is one of the many managed by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, WEST is unique from other bilateral exchange visitor programs due to its English-language training component and the length of the program. Informally called “WESTies,” participants spend a maximum of 18 months in the United States, including up to five months of language training, 12 months in an internship, and one month of travel.

WEST provides participants with invaluable opportunities to gain new skills and a new understanding, not only of the United States, but of themselves. At the ceremony to renew WEST, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa noted that a WESTie had once remarked that WEST was “a journey to discover the path that I want to take, not the one that I am obliged to take.” Many WESTies would agree. Kang went on to mention that innumerable alumni shared that the program had boosted their confidence by helping them build their capability and given them an opportunity to challenge themselves in a new environment.

WEST’s lasting legacy lies not just with the English language proficiency or business skills gained during internships, but in the lasting relationships and mutual understanding formed by WESTies and the Americans they meet throughout the course of their programs. At the ceremony, Ambassador Harris noted that, “As WESTies study, work, and travel throughout the United States, they become citizen ambassadors of Korea, establishing long-lasting bonds of friendship and mutual respect with Americans.”

To date, over 3,500 young men and women from the Republic of Korea have participated in WEST. Thanks to the renewal of the memorandum of understanding governing the program, that number will grow as WEST continues to foster future generations of Korean leaders who will deepen and strengthen bilateral cooperation.

My time in Yemen as a Fulbright researcher turned out to be one of the most profound experiences of my life. Ostensibly, I was in Yemen for ten months as a researcher to explore identity and culture as a contrast point to my experience in Egypt the previous year. But I really came to Yemen for an adventure and to be free and unknown.

I wandered villages and talked to people. I learned how to swim in Socotra, a small island nestled between Somalia and Yemen. I remember sitting on the beach with my European friends when a man on a boat approached us and demanded food from us- to this day I’m not sure if I get to call him a pirate or not. I traveled to a friend’s wedding in Sadaa, the heart of the Houthi stronghold, long before the Houthis became international news. It was a beautiful wedding but also quite sad because my friend was an American teenager from Los Angeles who had been pulled from the States to have an honorable tribal wedding. I suppose the $85,000 dowry to her father may have also been an incentive for her marriage. I went because she begged me to go with her and to photograph the whole trip. It was really taboo to photograph women, even in the mid-2000s.

I remember crowds of people silently watching me read Arabic lessons on my laptop- a skill they did not have. I learned the differences between single and married girl abayas. And when people started offering me their guns to shoot I knew it was about the cut of the abaya, and not me!

But it was Moshe, a Yemeni Jew, who embodied everything about Yemen and taught me so much about being a Foreign Service Officer.

I first learned about the small population of Yemeni Jews while walking to my Arabic class in downtown Sanaa. I noticed an old Yemeni man walking in the souq, the market, wearing a Yarmulke and traditional Hasidic payot sidelocks, just like so many of my fellow New Yorkers that I knew in Brooklyn from college. Immediately, I had questions and called my Yemeni friends to understand more about the Yemeni Jews.

Turns out the souq I walked through every day, Souq al Milh, the salt market, was traditionally a place where local Jewish people sold their goods, including salt. Jewish Yemeni were also famous for their magnificent Jewish wedding jewelry. I frequented the souq and bought several pieces, but the Arab Spring would soon halt my visits there.

My friends knew I was researching identity and culture as a Fulbrighter, so they offered to introduce me to a Jewish family to learn more about their lives and experiences. Moshe’s family lived in Raydah, a small town with a few hundred Jewish families. He allowed me to tour the community: I remember seeing the Torah pedestaled in a small synagogue and an older man reciting the text near a tree.

Moshe and his family, like every other Yemeni, fed me the best of their food and told me about their 300-strong Jewish community just north of Sanaa. He identified as a proud Yemeni and he had no intention of moving to another country despite sporadic threats to him and his family.

As an African American, I felt a strong connection to this 30 year-old butcher with nine children. I admired his decision to share with me his family and his culture rather than discuss the threats that swirled around him. Mostly, I admired Moshe because he refused to let anyone tell him he wasn’t Yemeni enough just because he was a minority.

The last time I heard from Moshe was after I had returned to New York to begin graduate studies at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs. He had left a hurried message asking me to call him back because he needed help.

Moshe was dead by the next time I asked about him. On his way from the souq, perhaps after buying groceries for another curious student, a gunman murdered him in the street because he was Jewish. December 2018 will mark ten years since his death and I still remember my friend.

I have always carried a guilt about Moshe. I’ll always wonder if there was something I could have done to help when he called. Moshe believed that I could help him because I came from the great City on a Hill. He didn’t care about my background or my personal baggage. To him I was an American who had the potential to help him and his community.

Moshe’s death – and my desire to prevent this from happening again – is what inspired me to become a Foreign Service Officer and promote human rights and democracy in the lives of people just like Moshe all around the world.

About the Author: Keisha Toms is a Foreign Service Officer and an alumna of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Vice President Pence is honored to be leading the U.S. delegation to the APEC Leaders’ meeting this week in Papua New Guinea. At APEC, the key forum for promoting economic growth and high standards for trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific, the United States will reaffirm our commitment to working with our partners to advance an economic and trade architecture that opens markets, promotes high standards, and achieves free, fair, and reciprocal trade across APEC.

President Trump at the 2017 APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Vietnam with the Late President Quang of Vietnam, President Xi of China, and Prime Minister Turnbull of Australia.

Supporting innovation and the growth of the digital economy is a key priority of the United States for this year’s APEC Leaders’ meeting. This theme is central to the Papua New Guinea APEC host year. The United States will promote policies that facilitate digital trade and promote a free and open internet. The United States has already begun to work towards this objective. This year in APEC, we began implementation of the APEC Internet and Digital Economy Roadmap, developed a list of principles to facilitate digital trade, and expanded participation in the Cross Border Privacy Rules system, all of which will reduce barriers and improve access to the digital economy for people, consumers, and businesses. The digital economy is growing rapidly in APEC economies, and a more open digital economy will greatly benefit the region, including the United States where the digital economy accounts for an estimated five percent of GDP with the potential to boost annual GDP domestically by up to $2.2 trillion by 2025.

Another policy objective for the United States at the APEC Leaders’ meeting is to increase women’s economic participation, including through entrepreneurship opportunities, workforce development, and breaking down regulatory and legal barriers. The numbers are staggering: A 2015 report from the McKinsey Global Institute found that if women played identical roles as men in labor markets, global GDP would rise by $28 trillion by 2025. That is nearly 25 percent of the world’s current GDP, and it is almost half of the world’s current debt. The United States values APEC as a multilateral space in which issues of women’s empowerment can be raised. Our work in APEC has centered around using data to promote women in high-growth and high-wage sectors, including transportation, science, and technology; support women entrepreneurs; and help small and medium enterprises improve women’s economic participation through better health and workplace safety outcomes. The United States is firmly committed to continuing to promote gender equality globally because when women win, we all win.

The United States is working through APEC to promote structural reform to level playing fields, increase transparency, and reduce corruption. Our work with other APEC economies to improve their domestic policies, regulations, and institutions is opening new markets and making it easier for companies, especially small ones, to do business by fostering an open and transparent economic environment across APEC and throughout the Indo-Pacific region. In 2015, APEC economies committed to make it ten percent easier, faster, and cheaper to do business in the region by 2018, as measured by the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business survey. To advance this initiative, the United States works with member economies to reduce procedures, time, and cost of starting a business in the region and to increase access to affordable credit for small businesses.

The United States looks forward to working with Papua New Guinea and all of our APEC partners to make progress on these and other critical priority areas of cooperation. APEC is the model for how a non-binding body can drive consensus, brainstorm ideas, and set goals for economic openness. It is an incubator of ideas that helps shape the global architecture by ambitiously pursuing more free and fair trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific.

This week, the State Department is celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week -- a time to highlight successful entrepreneurs who serve their communities and to inspire the next generation to engage in entrepreneurial activity while connecting them to potential collaborators, mentors, and even investors. Our embassies, consulates, and partners around the world have organized events to promote entrepreneurship and to inspire individuals from all backgrounds to follow in the footsteps of generations of successful American entrepreneurs.

Today marks Day 1 of Global #Entrepreneurship Week! A celebration of the 582 million entrepreneurs around world who are pushing the limits of human knowledge, invention, and capability to solve some of our world’s biggest challenges #GEW2018pic.twitter.com/jAGkmQ5i32

Happy Global Entrepreneurship Week! This week, we celebrate the entrepreneurs who forge new frontiers of possibility and prosperity. Thanks to their vision and drive, brilliant business ideas and inventions can come to life and change the world. #GEW2018pic.twitter.com/uy8Anbp8rJ

As a part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the State Department is also proud to announce the launch of the ninth Global Entrepreneurship Summit, co-hosted by the Netherlands. #GES2019, to be held in the Netherlands, will once again convene emerging entrepreneurs, investors, and supporters from around the world to share innovative ideas and advance economic growth. An estimated 20,000 emerging leaders have participated in these Summits since 2010.

On October 30, at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, Legal Attaché Kevin Vorndran accepted an artwork donated by acclaimed artist Claire Van Vliet, and thanked her for her generous donation of over 100 artworks to the State Department’s collection.

This story began last February when Vorndran requested that the State Department's Office of Cultural Heritage locate a piece of artwork relevant to the the embassy in Ottawa for display there. Based on our long-standing and collaborative working relationship with Van Vilet, we immediately thought of her as an appropriate artist to feature. Not only do many of her colorful landscapes hang in U.S. Embassies around the world, but Van Vliet herself has a connection to Canada.

Robert Hannum, Art Conservation Specialist for the Office of Cultural Heritage of Overseas Buildings Operations at the U.S. Department of State, speaks to U.S. Embassy Ottawa staff about Ms. Van Vliet's donation of more than 100 works of art.

Van Vliet was born in Ottawa in 1933. Her father, Group Captain Wilbur Dennison Van Vliet, was a famous Canadian WWII pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force and led the 110th Squadron to England in December 1939. Group Captain Van Vliet rests at the National Military Cemetery of the Canadian Forces in Ottawa, thus making Van Vliet’s connection to Ottawa a very personal one.

The artist spent her early years in England and various towns and cities in Canada. Orphaned at 14, she went to live with an aunt in California where she completed her education in San Diego and Claremont. Her early exposure to nature crisscrossing Canada heightened her interest in the vast continental landscape and inspired her celebrated images. In addition to her acclaim as an artist, Van Vliet founded Janus Press in San Diego, and is one of the earliest recipients of the MacArthur "Genius Award" for her innovations in bookbinding. She now lives in Vermont, and her vibrant lithographs and paperworks grace the offices and hallways of many U.S. Embassies today.

After discussion with Van Vliet about the request from U.S. Embassy Ottawa, the artist suggested “Flatlands,” a work inspired by her train crossings of both the Canadian and American plains, and featuring her innovative "pulp painting" technique in which she mixes pigment with pulp paper and applies it like paint to her artwork.

Artist Claire Van Vliet shares stories about her personal her connection to Canada.

Following the October presentation, the piece officially became part of the State Department permanent collection. The State Department continues to build bridges by creating opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue through the visual arts. Artworks like Van Vliet's "Flatlands" reveal our shared history, and show us just how deeply connected we all are.

About the Author: Robert Hannum serves as an Art Conservation Specialist for the Office of Cultural Heritage of Overseas Buildings Operations at the U.S. Department of State.

The State Department benefits the American people by advancing U.S. national security, promoting our economic interests, providing services, and reaffirming our country’s exceptional role in the world. As they do many States across the nation, these benefits directly impact the “Constitution State” of Connecticut.

Connecticut and its people have played noteworthy roles in the history of the United States and in diplomacy. In fact, former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson was a son of Connecticut. Born in 1893 in the city of Middletown, Acheson attended Groton School and Yale University. After serving as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and entering the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration as Under Secretary of the Department of Treasury, Acheson began his career at the Department of State in 1941, and was appointed the 51st Secretary of State in 1949. Acheson played an important role in shaping the United States' policy during the early Cold War.

Today, the State Department has a mutually-beneficial relationship with Connecticut and its institutions. For example, Yale University is a participating school in the Diplomacy Lab partnership led by the State Department’s Office of Global Partnerships. Diplomacy Lab is a public-private partnership that enables the State Department to “course-source” research and innovation related to foreign policy challenges. Partner schools like Yale University conduct research around Department-selected topics including democracy and human rights, counterterrorism, global health, and energy security. Over the course of a semester, professors guide students in developing a final work product that accomplishes the goals outlined by the Department. Students also have opportunities throughout the semester to discuss their research with State Department officials. Diplomacy Lab underscores the Department’s commitment to engage the American people, including the people of Connecticut, in the work of the State Department. The partnership also underscores the need to broaden the Department’s research base in response to a proliferation of complex global challenges.

The State Department engages with Connecticut institutions in other key areas as well. In 2016, the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons awarded a grant to Lawyers Without Borders based in New Haven, Connecticut. The $750,000 grant has been used in Lawyers Without Borders’ work to improve trafficking in persons investigations and prosecutions in Tanzania through providing detail-focused capacity-building and training and materials for criminal justice actors, and through complementary community and nongovermental organization work.

The State Department will continue to seek partnerships that benefit Connecticut’s communities and advance the United States' foreign policy priorities. Such endeavors can only bring about positive outcomes for the future of the United States, our friends, and our partners around the world.

]]>#IEW2018 Kicks Off With Record Number of Students Studying Abroadhttp://blogs.state.gov/node/32971
node-32971-[delta]Tue, 13 Nov 2018 14:29:11 -0500DipNote Bloggers

From November 12-16, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education are celebrating International Education Week (IEW) by encouraging Americans to seek opportunities to study abroad and welcoming international students to study in the United States. International education makes the United States stronger, forging lasting connections with peers in other countries, bringing benefits to local communities, and generating knowledge to solve shared challenges.

In recognition of International Education Week, Secretary Pompeo released a video message underscoring the importance of international education and study abroad for both American and international students.

"Nothing can replace the people to people connections that happen when our young people study abroad.

Each year during International Education Week, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE) release the Open Doors® Report on International Educational Exchange, sharing the latest data on international student enrollments in the United States as well as U.S. students studying abroad. On November 13, the report was released at an event in Washington, D.C., showing that a record number of international students are studying in the United States in the 2017/18 academic year. The results from the Fall 2018 joint online survey on international student enrollments were also released.

With a new high of 1.09 M international students, the U.S. remains the top host of globally-mobile students. They contributed $42.4 B to the U.S. economy in 2017, according to @CommerceGov. #IEW2018

At the 6th U.S.-ASEAN Summit and the 33rd East Asia Summit this week in Singapore, the United States and ten nations that comprise ASEAN will reaffirm our strategic partnership. The United States and these ten nations will discuss our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, in which independent nations with diverse cultures and aspirations can prosper side-by-side in freedom, peace, and prosperity. The United States celebrates with its partners 41 years of close U.S.-ASEAN relations, and maintains an enduring commitment to this forward-looking multilateral organization.

President Trump attended the 2017 U.S.-ASEAN Summit in the Philippines.

The United States is a Pacific nation, and we remain committed to ASEAN centrality as a cornerstone of our vision to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S.-ASEAN cooperation makes the region more peaceful and secure, a message that Vice President Pence will underscore during his participation in the East Asia Summit and 6th US-ASEAN Summit in Singapore. We are cooperating on pressing security issues, including efforts to achieve North Korea’s denuclearization and to promote maritime security in the South China Sea. The U.S.-ASEAN partnership also addresses transnational challenges, such as trafficking in persons, disaster management, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism. Our shared goals and ambitions make us firmly committed to ASEAN in the long-term. Secretary Pompeo made good on that commitment at Ministerial-level meetings in August in Singapore, where he announced significant investments that advance peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, including investments that support ASEAN and other regional institutions.

Secretary Pompeo at the ASEAN-related Ministerial Meeting of the Lower Mekong Initiative.

Mutually beneficial economic engagement has long been an important part of the U.S.-ASEAN relationship. The United States supports the ASEAN Economic Community so that the ten member states can reach their own vision for a single market and production base with free movement of goods, services, capital, and skilled labor. One way in which the United States is working to achieve this goal is via the ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment (ACTI) initiative. This five-­year project of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of State accelerates implementation of select components of the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN-­U.S. Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement. Adopting free, transparent, sustainable, and inclusive trade practices as ASEAN moves toward economic integration will benefit the Southeast Asia member states, as well as the United States.

Deputy Secretary Sullivan meeting with the ten member countries of ASEAN on the margins of UNGA in New York City.

Our commitment to ASEAN and its members extends beyond summits and other diplomatic settings. When an earthquake and tsunami struck Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, in September, killing more than 2,000 and injuring and displacing thousands more, we responded by providing more than $11 million in humanitarian assistance. USAID provided water, hygiene kits, blankets, safe spaces for children, and emergency shelter materials, including 2,210 rolls of heavy-duty plastic sheeting, which was enough to provide for the emergency shelter needs of 110,500 people. The Department of Defense sent three C-130 aircraft to support USAID’s mission, and the C-130s delivered nearly 600 metric tons of relief supplies to the affected area. The ASEAN Humanitarian Center in Jakarta, which benefits from U.S. assistance and support, also responded to the crisis. We stood with the people of Indonesia during this challenging time, and we will continue to stand with the people of the ASEAN nations in the future to ensure we all move forward together.

USAID in coordination with the U.S. Military brought over 41 metric tons of relief supplies to those affected by the Indonesia earthquake and tsunami.

ASEAN’s theme for 2018 is “resilience and innovation.” The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), a U.S. program that builds the leadership capabilities of youth in the region and promotes cross-border cooperation to solve regional and global challenges, is a perfect example of this theme in action. This year, for example, YSEALI members in Brunei hosted a “Combating Trafficking in Persons” conference at Universiti Brunei Darussalam to raise awareness about human trafficking and the importance of preventing the country from becoming a destination for trafficking and the exploitation of persons, especially youth. In Indonesia, YSEALI delegates participated in a Marine Debris Expedition Regional Workshop, and pitched action plans to combat marine debris. The 2018 YSEALI Summit will take place December 3-5 in Singapore, bringing together 150 participants from across ASEAN countries and the United States.

For the last 41 years, the United States has partnered with ASEAN and its member states on economic engagement, security, rule of law, sustainable development, human rights, and people-to-people programming. We look forward to working with our ASEAN partners in Singapore and beyond to strengthen an enduring partnership and cooperation that is rooted in our shared interests and values.

One year after ISIS was pushed out of Raqqah, the people of northeast Syria are still working to get back on their feet. One of the biggest obstacles they face is massive contamination from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) left behind by ISIS, including in countless homes, shops, hospitals, schools, roadways, water pumping stations, and electric power facilities. Not only do these devices endanger the people of northeast Syria as they attempt to recover from ISIS’ brutal reign, but ERW prevents humanitarian aid organizations and stabilization actors from accessing key areas and providing the help that these populations so badly need.

The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, part of the Bureau of Political and Military Affairs (PM/WRA), is working to remove ERW and IEDs from critical infrastructure in portions of northeast Syria liberated from ISIS control and to educate people living in these areas how to stay safe when facing the threat of explosive hazards on a daily basis. By creating safe environments for families and humanitarian aid organizations, removing ISIS’ deadly legacy of ERW is helping to restore basic services in places like Raqqah as internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees voluntarily return to their homes and livelihoods. Through these efforts, the United States is working to provide stability and security in liberated areas.

With funding from the U.S. and contributions from Denmark, Germany, Kosovo, Latvia, Norway, and Taiwan, PM/WRA’s main implementing partner Tetra Tech, which is a U.S.-based company, is engaged in the following activities:

Conducting surveys to locate and mark explosive hazards;

Clearing of all forms of explosive hazards, including ERW and IEDs from critical infrastructure sites, such as schools, hospitals, and clean water facilities;

Building local capacity by training local Syrians to conduct explosive hazards removal in accordance with international standards; and

Educating local and returning populations about explosive hazards through formal risk education.

The critical first step in explosive hazards removal is gaining community acceptance for site access. Community liaisons work with local councils and community leaders to build trust and gain valuable information on known locations of hazards to increase the effectiveness of survey teams. The teams of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts then methodically inspect suspected sites to evaluate whether explosive hazards are present. Surveys are conducted by trained personnel through site visits or remote aerial surveillance. Over the past 19 months, critical infrastructure, like power, water, and transportation facilities that are vital to the safe and voluntary return of refugees, have been prioritized. Since Raqqah’s liberation in October 2017, Tetra Tech has completed more than 400 surveys of individual critical infrastructure.

When surveys indicate that explosive hazards are present, a team composed of international EOD experts and trained local technical personnel get to work. Team leaders have several tools available to help make their jobs more efficient, effective, and safe, including armored heavy equipment, K-9s trained to detect explosive materials, and robots with mechanical arms. After all known explosive hazards have been neutralized, the local civil council is notified, and the site can once again be used to serve the local population. As of September 2018, more than 300 sites in Raqqa City have been surveyed and cleared, including 9 hospitals, 66 schools, and 76 infrastructure facilities, including water treatment and pumping, power generation, and transfer stations.

Training Syrians in the use of metal detectors to identify explosive hazards.

Clearance teams are also called on by the community or Coalition Forces to support ‘spot tasks.’ These efforts include emergency interventions to neutralize explosive caches and other munitions items found in public areas. Clearance teams destroy these materials to eliminate the threats to unsuspecting civilians and prevent malign actors from harvesting and repurposing explosive hazards. To date, Tetra Tech’s clearance teams have removed over 6,000 explosive hazards from Raqqah, Tabqah, and surrounding areas. Overall, funding from the United States and other international contributors has cleared over 24,000 explosive hazards from 3,150,000 square meters, helping to facilitate the return of over 160,000 IDPs.

To help build a permanent, sustainable EOD capability for the people of northeast Syria, Tetra Tech has trained 125 locals in explosive hazards search, removal, and disposal techniques. After the students complete their instruction, they are teamed with international experts and begin conducting real explosive hazards survey and disposal operations. An additional 25 Syrian nationals have expanded their capabilities, receiving advanced training and certifications. After several evaluations and advanced explosives remediation training and practices, these individuals are now being trained to take over as team leaders who will be responsible for daily clearance operations at key sites. They will form the core of a new, local capability to expand clearance operations across northeast Syria.

Keeping the people of northeast Syria safe from explosive hazards also requires education. Tetra Tech’s mine risk education (MRE) efforts include two teams that interact with the community daily to inform the citizens of Raqqah and Tabqah, and their outlying communities and IDP camps about explosive hazards. These teams meet with community civil councils to gain their support and identify the best locations to teach MRE classes, often schools and other areas with high population density. The teams also place safety posters and billboards in high-traffic areas. To date, the MRE teams have completed 515 MRE sessions, raising the awareness levels of 70,000 residents, including 56,000 children.

PM/WRA efforts in northern Syria are aimed first and foremost at saving lives and to creating safe spaces for the Syrian people to rebuild their communities. Many of these areas now have power restored, water flowing, and access to basic and emergency health care needs; more than 45,000 students have resumed their studies with safe access to schools and playgrounds. Most importantly, deaths due to explosive hazards continue to decrease significantly as Tetra Tech and other mine action organizations continue to clear explosive hazards, educate returning populations, and build local capacity to sustain these efforts.

The non-governmental organization Spirit of Soccer uses the game of football, or soccer as it is called in the United States, as a medium to teach Iraqi children about the dangers posed by explosive remnants of war (ERW), as well as measures that they can take to mitigate the threat posed by these devices and how to report explosive hazards to the appropriate Iraqi authorities. Spirit of Soccer has been implementing U.S.-funded programs in Iraq for almost ten years, and in 2017 provided ERW risk education to more than 40,200 children. As Iraq starts to rebuild from the death and destruction of ISIS, U.S.-funded programs like this play a critical role in keeping Iraqis safe from ISIS’s deadly legacy.

Spirit of Soccer was awarded the Beyond Sports’ Peace and Social Justice Award for its lifesaving efforts in Iraq. Mohammad Naqib, Spirit of Soccer’s country director, traveled to New York City to attend the ceremony recognizing Spirit of Soccer’s Countering Violent Extremism project, a U.S.-funded program in Iraq designed to convey, through the game of soccer, lifesaving information about the dangers of landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other ERW, as well as appropriate safety measures. The program specifically engages young men -- the demographic most likely to be targeted by ISIS and other violent non-state actors for recruitment. By winning the award, Spirit of Soccer also received an additional $50,000 which it will use to expand operations in heavily-populated Iraqi cities like Mosul, Ramadi, and Tikrit.

NBA legend, Dikembe Mutumbo, presents the Peace and Social Justice Award to Spirit of Soccer’s Mohammad Naqib. (Photo courtesy of Spirit of Soccer)

Spirit of Soccer began implementing this project as a component of its larger Iraq program in 2016 and has, to date, reached more than 6,000 young males in communities previously held by ISIS. By socializing the young participants with adults and coaches from different mine-affected communities, Spirit of Soccer is combatting the hateful doctrine espoused by ISIS and providing a safe space for communities to heal and share experiences, often on soccer fields refurbished by the United States. In 2017, Spirit of Soccer also trained 33 staff in trauma-sensitive coaching to better identify and address childhood trauma and use soccer to form personal connections with victims suffering psychologically from their exposure to ISIS. With U.S. support, Spirit of Soccer currently supports 35 coaches implementing risk education programs across Iraq.

Spirit of Soccer project beneficiaries participate in a soccer game in Al Qosh in Ninewa, Iraq. (Photo courtesy of Spirit of Soccer)

Spirit of Soccer works outside of Iraq, as well. The Department of State currently supports Spirit of Soccer in Iraq, Cambodia, Colombia, and Laos to better protect communities in areas affected by ERW. Last year, 126,414 people, including more than 83,000 children, from those four countries participated in a Spirit of Soccer program and gained a deeper understanding of the threats that landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other ERW pose.

Since 1993, the United States has been the world’s leading contributor to conventional weapons destruction, including mine risk education programs like Spirit of Soccer, providing more than $3.2 billion to more than 100 countries. To learn more about the United States’ global conventional weapons destruction efforts, check out our annual report, To Walk the Earth in Safety, and follow us on Twitter @StateDeptPM.

The U.S. Department of State honors those who have served in the United States’ armed forces on Veteran’s Day, and each and every day, by providing education, fellowship, and job exposure to veterans and transitioning military to become the diplomats of tomorrow.

Unity in our country can be found in the respect and gratitude citizens display for our service members every Veterans Day. Here at the U.S. Department of State, we understand the important role our U.S. military plays around the world. Veterans hold a unique and valuable perspective that can contribute greatly to the diplomatic efforts of the State Department, and for this reason, we have taken steps to help our veterans prepare for the next chapter of their lives, while utilizing their distinct capabilities. As we celebrate Veterans Day, we recognize their contributions, both while in service and upon their return home.

Secretary Pompeo poses for a photo with Veterans Innovation Partnership "VIP" Fellows at the State Department.

In recognition of a veteran’s natural potential as a source of talent for diplomacy, we launched the Veterans Innovation Partnership (VIP). VIP serves America’s veterans and prepares them for diplomacy and development careers by providing them a year-long fellowship, complete with education and employment resources, while simultaneously enhancing America’s global leadership through the fellows’ unique expertise. To date, the program has supported 49 veterans in one-year, professional fellowships, with another 20 fellows selected for the 2018-2019 cohort. With every military branch represented, VIP Fellows have implemented direct field experience into policy-making, allowing 80 percent of the past cohorts to continue careers in foreign affairs at State and other U.S. agencies. Through the mutual support of the State Department’s Office of Global Partnerships and the Bureau of Human Resources, the VIP Fellowship continues to provide veterans access to careers and opportunities in foreign affairs.

A former VIP Fellow and now partnerships specialist in the Office of Global Partnerships, Christine Johnson says:

“VIP offered me the opportunity to not only experience the career I dreamed of but also open the door into a new world where my skills, both military and medical, could be put to service in a more influential way.”

Christine is also an officer on the Veterans@State Employee Affinity Group Board, where she helped plan this year’s 16th Annual Roll Call event at State, in which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took part in a military style roll call with veterans represented at all levels of military rank who now hold careers across all State bureaus and our U.S. embassies abroad. This event is a display of the comradery that is unique to veterans and presents them with an opportunity to reflect on their service to our country and shared experiences together.

As we celebrate all our U.S. veterans and their significant contributions, we shine a light on another exceptional example of a veteran who has adapted her skills and experience to serve on the front lines of diplomacy here at the U.S. Department of State.

Ambassador-at-Large Deborah L. Birx has a three-decade-long career that has focused on HIV/AIDS immunology, vaccine research, and global health. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Birx oversees the implementation of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and all U.S. government engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Serving as the U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, she aligns the U.S. government's diplomacy with foreign assistance programs that address global health challenges.

Ambassador Birx began her career with the U.S. Department of Defense as a military-trained clinician in immunology, focusing on HIV/AIDS vaccine research. She reached the rank of Colonel and was awarded two prestigious U.S. Meritorious Service Medals and the Legion of Merit Award for her groundbreaking research, leadership, and management skills.

In recognition of Veterans Day, Ambassador Birx shares her insights as a veteran and a leader in global health.

How does being a veteran shape you as a leader today? I am proud to be the first veteran and the first women to serve as the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, with the privilege of leading PEPFAR.

But I can still recall vividly my residency and fellowship training at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which began in Feb. 1980, and then in 1985, when I began serving there as the Assistant Chief of the Hospital Immunology Service for the Army. These were some of the darkest days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. At that time, we knew little about the disease except its deadly end stage. We didn't understand what the virus was doing in the body to destroy the immune system – we only saw the devastating consequences, which we were initially unprepared to confront within our families, communities, and institutions.

Stigma and discrimination made the work more challenging and more urgent. So we had to lead by example. At Walter Reed, my colleagues and I faced our own fears of HIV and embraced those living with and affected by the disease with the open arms of compassion, care, and creative research. Many other individuals far braver than any of us did the same in their own communities and countries.

At the same time we were confronting disease on the front lines of care at Walter Reed, the military required leadership training, personnel management trainings, budgetary planning, strategic planning, and integration of the lessons learned from history to the work of today. As a young doctor and researcher, these trainings – on top of seeing patients, doing research, and as new mom – were daunting and if not absolutely required I would never have completed them every year. But these management and leadership trainings have has been critical to all of my subsequent jobs. And the acquisition and budget training has enabled me to understand procurement and how to make government work more effectively and efficiently. My 29 years of active military services gave me the background, the abilities, and the respect for the concept of teamwork and decision making that have made me the person I am today.

What was it like being a female in the military?

When you constitute less than three percent of the active force, as was the case in 1980, it teaches you how to function in a very male dominant world. You learn how to make your voice heard when it's a different tone and tenor then most of your colleagues and what many were used to hearing. Frankly, it taught me I had to be better, stronger, and more diligent than my male counterparts to succeed and ensure my patients got the best care I could deliver. On the other hand, I was privileged throughout my entire career to be mentored and supported by many men who looked beyond my gender to my capacities and abilities and I am so grateful to each and every one of them. They were my role models and taught me leadership grounded in humility.

Where are we with the combat against AIDS globally? And, where do you see Global Health going in the next decade?

It was the military that first recognized the connection between global health, the health of allied forces around the globe, and the ability of the U.S. military to accomplish its mission. It is out of a concern for the active forces' readiness that the U.S. military invests in infectious disease research and ensures they know all of the infectious disease and environmental threats to any and all deployments and how to mitigate their impact on the warfighter. This research occurred alongside the brilliant work on shock and ensuring any injured soldier has the immediate access to lifesaving technologies.

So, if you look at the progression from where were we just 33 years ago, when we finally had a diagnostic test for HIV, to the first HIV medicines becoming available in the late 1980s, to the discovery, in 1996, of the amazing three-drug cocktail that has since saved millions of lives, it's remarkable. And then, at the dawning of this millennium, to have in your hands the ability to save lives with these new drugs and there being essentially no access to them in any country that wasn't high income. We were confronted with the stark reality that around the world an entire generation was dying and the very fabric of societies were being ripped apart. That is when the United States stood up with a call to action delivered by our congress and the landmark announcement of PEPFAR in President George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.

Now, fast-forward 15 years, and PEPFAR has saved more than 16 million lives, prevented millions of HIV infections and brought the world closer than ever to controlling the HIV pandemic – community by community, country by country. We have in our hands the tools to control this epidemic around the globe and it is our collective job to bring these tools to an impactful scale, which we have. Globally, new HIV infections and AIDS mortality have dropped dramatically thanks to the American people's generosity. And with our continued laser focus and the incredible increase in host country spending on HIV/AIDS, we can make the impossible possible.

This foundational work done through PEPFAR also gives us the confidence that we can tackle any future pandemics, as we have the roadmap and ability. It gives us and our partner countries the confidence to use all health resources in a new data-driven cost-effective manner, which ensures resources are directed according to real need rather than perception, making PEPFAR a model of effectiveness and efficiency. Together, I believe we have created the laboratory networks and relationship with communities that will serve not only global health but also as the backbone of the global health security agenda.

Last week, I was at an event with the Director of Services from the Eswatini Ministry of Health. I have never been prouder of what PEPFAR has accomplished when she said that because of PEPFAR the ministry and communities have learned to use and analyze data not only to make their health program more impactful but also to align precious country resources to equitably meet the broader health needs of their people. This is the power of data and the transformational impact PEPFAR has had.

What advice would you give veterans joining the State Department?

At its soul, the State Department has a deep respect for the role of the U.S. military within the broad missions of the Department. I have been treated with the utmost respect for my prior military services and my service to the country is recognized here. The State Department also appreciates the importance of leadership and teamwork in accomplishing its mission. The Department's structures in Washington and at embassies around the globe are also similarly organized around a clear chain of command, which supports a mutual understanding between the U.S. military and the State Department.

Happy 243rd birthday @USMC! For the last 70+ years, Marines and the @StateDept have shared an extraordinary partnership dedicated to the security of our posts, personnel, and information overseas. OORAH! pic.twitter.com/chvu7Z8wRw

Marine Security Guards (MSGs) stand duty 24 hours each day, seven days a week, at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. They staff the all-important Post One communications center at our embassies, thereby ensuring vital emergency communications are properly routed during times of emergency or heightened alert.

MSGs protect classified information and equipment from unauthorized disclosure, and provide internal security protection for U.S. citizens and U.S. Government property under a range of circumstances, up to and including hostile assaults.

Did you miss key foreign policy developments this week? Each week, DipNote recaps the latest U.S. Department of State highlights spanning a wide range of global issues, events, and initiatives in one blog post.

In a November 3 statement, Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert welcomed the news that the UN is finally able to begin delivering aid to the Rukban encampment in Syria

“Above all, we must recognize the tireless, courageous efforts of the humanitarian workers who are undertaking these operations. We hope this delivery lays the foundation for sustained rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to Rukban and all areas in need throughout Syria through cross-line and cross-border aid deliveries in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2393, and we will continue our diplomatic efforts to ensure that is the case.”

In a November 5 briefing at the Foreign Press Center in Washington, D.C., Secretary Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin announced the re-imposition of all Iran sanctions previously lifted under the JCPOA deal.

“Today we are re-imposing all sanctions that were previously lifted under the #Iran nuclear deal. This includes sanctions on energy, banking, shipping, and shipbuilding.” - @SecPompeopic.twitter.com/lleifimanW

.@SecPompeo – “Our objective is to starve the #Iran regime of revenue used to fund its destabilizing activities. Our ultimate goal is to convince the regime to abandon its current revolutionary course.” pic.twitter.com/Iqe0Gxdf0a

On November 7, Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook delivered remarks on the reimposition of sanction on Iran during a briefing with members of the press.

“Now that our sanctions on the Iranian regime have been reimposed, we want to alert nations of the risk of doing business with Iran’s shipping sector. If Iranian tankers make calls to your ports or transit through your waterways, this comes at great risk. The United States urges you to consider the advisory we are issuing today.”

On November 9, Secretary Pompeo met with Chinese Politburo Member Yang Jiechi at the Department.

U.S. Expresses Concern Over Violence Uptick in Cameroon

On November 6, Spokesperson Nauert released a statement on the recent uptick in violence in Cameroon.

“The United States expresses grave concern over the burgeoning Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions. We urge an immediate halt to the indiscriminate targeting of civilians and burning of houses by Cameroonian government forces and to attacks perpetrated by both Anglophone separatists against security forces and civilians.”

The United States welcomed Sudan’s commitment to facilitate meaningful reforms to enhance stability, including counterterrorism, human rights, and the conditions conducive for progress of the peace process. In a November 7 statement, Spokesperson Nauert added that the United States “is prepared to initiate the process of rescinding Sudan’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism if the determination is made that all of the relevant statutory criteria have been met,” and if Sudan makes progress in addressing areas of concern.

Secretary Pompeo to Travel to Paris

On November 7, Spokesperson Nauert announced that Secretary Pompeo will travel to Paris, France November 10-11, to join President Trump in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of the first World War and in meetings with French counterparts.

State Department Highlights Progress Since Release of New Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) Policy

On November 8, the State Department announced U.S. arms transfers rose 13 percent in 2018, highlighting the Trump administration's success strengthening security partners while growing american jobs.

Central to these efforts is the President’s new Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) Policy, released in April 2018, which aligned U.S. policy on conventional arms transfers with our national and economic security interests. On November 8, the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs released a fact sheet providing updates in the CAT policy implementation plan.

U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue

.@SecPompeo: Presidents Trump and Xi established this dialogue as a venue for candid discussions on issues affecting the U.S.-#China relationship. As @POTUS has made clear, the United States seeks a relationship with China grounded in fairness, reciprocity, and respect. pic.twitter.com/0lyQM6GWKs

The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Defense co-hosted the U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue on November 9, at the Department of State.

Following the dialogue, Secretary Pompeo held a joint press availability with Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Chinese Politburo Member Yang Jiechi and Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe, at the Department of State.

Globally, the percentage of women working in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is small. Through TechWomen, a mentorship and cultural exchange program, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) seeks to provide international women leaders with the resources needed to excel in these industries.

This fall, approximately 100 inspiring women from 20 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia, traveled to the United States to participate in a five-week mentorship program with some of the most talented women at notable science and technology companies in the San Francisco Bay area.

The American mentors volunteered to share their expertise to help empower these international women as the teams interacted with those who have a completely different perspective and culture. ECA’s implementing partner, the Institute of International Education (IIE), guided the participants throughout the program as they worked with their mentors on special projects, attended leadership training to increase their understanding of American business development, and expanded their network through workshops and professional events.

TechWomen work on an action plan to address a socioeconomic challenge in their home country. (Photo courtesy of Institute of International Education)

Encouraging the next generation of women and girls in STEM and being engaged in one’s community is a major component of the mentorship program. The emerging leaders were charged with developing projects that address socioeconomic issues in their home countries. They worked tirelessly with an American advisor, also known as an impact coach, to develop ideas, plans, and to pitch their projects with the goal of receiving seed funding to aid in implementation.

TechWomen Team Nigeria was one of this year’s winning groups. They developed the Mobile Aide Against Maternal and Infant Mortality (MAAMI) project to address the high maternal mortality rate within their country. According to the World Factbook, Nigeria has been ranked as having the fourth highest maternal mortality rate in the world.

TechWomen Team Nigeria being announced as winners of the pitch competition at Twitter in San Francisco, CA. (Photo courtesy of Institute of International Education)

In a Facebook live discussion with Susan Crystal, ECA Deputy Assistant Secretary, the Nigerian team discussed their passion for decreasing the number of avoidable maternal deaths by providing education and adequate care for expectant mothers. Through MAAMI, the team plans to work with partner organizations to deliver health education messages, via an automated audio messaging system, in local languages, to address existing challenges such as language barriers and internet access in underserved communities.

Over the past seven years, more than 500 women from over 22 countries have participated in TechWomen and are committed to encouraging the next generation of STEM leaders in their home countries. During the program’s closing luncheon at the State Department, ECA Assistant Secretary Marie Royce underscored the importance of this mentoring program, crediting her own mentors as contributing to her success as a former businesswoman in a male-dominated industry.

In the Spring of 2019, a group of American mentors and TechWomen alumnae will travel to select countries to lead seminars and networking activities for young women entrepreneurs and conduct workshops for undergraduates and teenage girls in STEM.

The emerging leaders and mentors have built life-lasting connections, ensuring the sustainability of mutually beneficial relationships established through TechWomen.

The work of the State Department benefits the American people by advancing U.S. national security, promoting our economic interests, providing services, and reaffirming our country’s exceptional role in the world. These benefits are evident in many states across the nation; here are a few examples of ways the Department's work impacts the “Centennial State” of Colorado.

The State Department fosters partnerships and engagements that impact Colorado broadly, ranging its agro-business, eco-tourism, academic, and defense sectors among other areas. For example, in 2013, more than 1,000 businesses participated in the Latin American Idea Partnership (La Idea) competition, a business-competition platform that fosters collaboration between entrepreneurs in the United States and Latin America. The La Idea business competition aimed to develop and expand innovative businesses to generate employment and economic growth throughout the Americas. Stakeholders in the La Idea business competition in 2013 included the State Department, along with USAID, the Association of Small Business Development Centers, and a number of other organizations in Latin America. Ultimately, only one entrepreneur would win the award for Best New Venture and that honor went to Agronometrics, a company run by entrepreneurs Colin Fain from Colorado and Claudio Riquelme from Chile. Their platform, Agronometrics, works to "help those in the fresh produce industry visualize, explore, and make the most of the commercial data that drives decisions and moves food from farmers to international markets". The La Idea competition is currently in its third iteration. The competition's current incubator project focuses on providing Central American entrepreneurs with resources and training to conduct business or launch a subsidiary of their business in the United States through a five-day intensive boot camp at U.S.-based incubators and small business development centers.

The State Department is also bringing Coloradans together with Latin American partners through the 100,000 Strong in the America’s Innovation Fund. This dynamic public-private sector collaboration between the State Department, NGOs, companies, and foundations inspires U.S. colleges and universities to team up with higher education institutions in the rest of the Western Hemisphere to create innovative and sustainable student exchange and training programs. As part of this program, Colorado State University’s two campuses in Pueblo and Fort Collins are collaborating with Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur of Mexico to develop an ecotourism education program and establish an Institute for Ecotourism Studies. This project gives students the opportunity to engage in immersive, field-based academic courses and cultural exchange while expanding their knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding ecotourism and sustainable development.

Another example of the Department's work to encourage cross-cultural engagement and entrepreneurial collaboration between the people of Colorado and Latin America occured just recently, when 13 businesses across a wide range of industries in Denver hosted fellows participating in the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative Professional Exchange Program (YLAI) from Guatemala, Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, Venezuela, Paraguay, Suriname, Jamaica, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. This is the third year businesses across the United States hosted 250 young entrepreneurs from 36 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to enhance the fellows’ competence in running their own ventures abroad, expanding their networks, and challenging prevailing stereotypes by showcasing the culture of innovation, collaboration, and transparency at the heart of the U.S. economy. Fellows, who participate in the program overwhelmingly reported positive experiences, return home with new skills, ideas, contacts, and friendships that propel their contributions to social and economic growth abroad on an American model. More than 50 percent of American host mentors reported that, as a result of the YLAI program, they fostered new partnerships with professional counterparts in Latin America or the Caribbean, and 91.6 percent would participate again. The YLAI program instills American entrepreneurship values and practices early in the evolution of young leaders and establishes a strong connection with the United States among the young entrepreneurs and future business partners of the hemisphere.

Finally, the State Department works alongside our defense colleagues through the Foreign Policy Advisor Program managed by the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ Office of State-Defense Integration. Emerging security issues demand that the U.S. government be agile, comprehensive, and inclusive when navigating foreign relations, and the interagency process remains the most efficient and effective means for the U.S. government to leverage resources for securing America’s interests abroad.Therefore, no agency, including the State Department, can operate in a vacuum. Foreign Policy Advisors, or POLADs, provide invaluable foreign policy expertise and advice to senior, strategic-level military leaders serving at various commands throughout the world, including two commands in Colorado Springs. Today, three POLADs are assigned to the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, and one POLAD is assigned to the Special Operations Command North, or SOCNORTH. Through this strategic collaboration and clear communication channels, State and Defense colleagues can respond seamlessly to our constantly-changing security environment.

The State Department continues to identify avenues to positively impact the lives of Americans through global partnerships and opportunities for meaningful engagement. The State Department impacts Colorado, and from the Front Range to Four Corners, Colorado impacts the world.

The Sub-Saharan nation of Malawi has made progress in human development over the past decade, but it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Over half the nation’s population lives in poverty, and some 25 percent live in extreme poverty.

When the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Government of Malawi began looking at the primary constraints to the country’s economic growth in 2009, one thing stood out -- the availability and quality of the nation’s power supply. Just 10 percent of Malawians had access to grid electricity and even for those connected to the grid, power was often unreliable and cut for eight to 12 hours per day.

But inadequate power doesn’t tell the whole story of life in Malawi. The country is also hindered by gender inequality. Women in the agricultural sector tend to have smaller lots of land, and those in other sectors suffer from a lack of access to credit and capital. So, when we partnered with the Malawian government to revamp the nation’s power sector, we didn’t limit our efforts to producing more electricity. We also sought opportunities to help women in the country advance in the context of the power-focused compact.

I traveled to Malawi ahead of our compact closeout and met with some of the inspiring women who have been empowered by projects implemented under MCC’s compact. Not only are those women compact beneficiaries, they are working to reshape the country’s future.

At MCC, we believe that one of the best ways to accomplish our mission to reduce poverty through economic growth is by investing in women’s economic empowerment. The reason is simple -- research shows that empowering women leads to stronger economies, increases in household incomes, and higher profits for businesses. So, no matter what sector we invest in -- power, land, transportation, water -- we look for ways to ensure that women are provided opportunities to play a key role in driving progress that will positively impact them and their communities. In Malawi, women helped to realize the potential of efforts across the power-focused investment, making key contributions to each of the three compact projects: infrastructure, power sector reform, and environmental management.

Hydropower generation plays a big role in Malawi’s power sector, but chronic weed infestations and excessive sediment buildup in the Shire River Basin as a result of poor land and environmental management, have led to hydropower disruptions and inefficiencies.

The compact’s $32 million Environmental and Natural Resource Management Project was designed to implement modern environmental and natural resource management techniques in areas upstream from the hydropower plants. The project also included a Social and Gender Enhancement Activity that focused on engaging women to improve how land along the riverbanks is used and reduce the negative impact on natural resources while increasing economic opportunities and decreasing outages at downstream hydropower plants.

Emily Hussein used to spend her days collecting firewood and charcoal, which she would sell as her only source of income, leading to deforestation and soil erosion. But with the help of MCC’s Environmental and Natural Resource Management Project, she secured a loan that allowed her to become a beekeeper -- decreasing her impact on the landscape and increasing her family’s household income.

“The project has changed the lives of women here,” said Emily. “I can now borrow money from the village bank and repay after I have sold honey. When I get the money, I use it to buy fertilizer in order to ensure that we have a good harvest.”

Upgrades to the power infrastructure formed a major piece of our compact with Malawi. A new high-voltage 400kV electricity transmission line -- a significant upgrade from the old 132kV line -- was built and is now connected by a host of newly constructed and upgraded substations. The line will provide a stronger and more efficient, higher voltage backbone for the transfer of electricity across Malawi.

Women working at the Nkhoma substation outside of Lilongwe, one of the end points of the new 400kv line that has greatly increased the capacity of Malawi’s power sector. (MCC photo)

Women worked on sites across the country as new lines and substations were constructed and rehabilitated. Women working at the Ntonda substation in Blantyre had the opportunity to work on site in the morning, and attend training sessions in the afternoon to build specialized skills in bricklaying and carpentry, skills that will help them to earn more in future work.

Infrastructure alone cannot solve the systemic, long-term challenges of energy access in Malawi. Effective institutions and strong policy frameworks are also needed to support continued expansion, encourage private sector investment and boost economic growth. As MCC worked with the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), the national electricity utility, to improve processes and operations, the role of women was front and center. The utility successfully recruited a Gender and Social Inclusion Manager and established a unit to lead the development and implementation of ESCOM’s Social and Gender Inclusion and Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy. Now, ESCOM will provide gender training and technical support to their entire staff.

“Research has shown that organizations which have included women in their decision making forums and even in all the operations of those organizations are able to perform much better than organizations which don’t have women in their committees or teams,” Gender and Social Inclusion Manager Elube Chienda told me.

ESCOM is also planning for their future workforce with a partnership with the University of Malawi. The scholarship and internship program aims to support the next generation of female engineers as students build their skills both in the classroom and in real world. “The idea is to ensure that we motivate them, and we inspire them so that when we have vacancies they will be the first ones to apply,” said Ms. Chienda.

When I spoke with ESCOM scholarship recipients about how the program had changed their lives and aspirations, they were full of hope and confidence. “I’m graduating not only with theory and knowledge. I’m also graduating as an experienced engineer,” said scholarship recipient Mary Mnewa.

With the completion of our five-year compact, MCC and the Government of Malawi have set the stage for more reliable power to be delivered across the country. At the same time, infrastructure upgrades and institutional reforms have secured the foundation for private sector investment while optimizing the potential benefits to women and local communities by promoting women’s economic empowerment through new job opportunities and reforms that incentivize women’s participation within the power sector.

Empowering women in Malawi is helping to power the country, and MCC is proud to have played a role in cementing new opportunities for women in the future. This compact shows that investments don’t have to choose between policy and institutional reform, infrastructure improvements, and economically empowering women. As we move forward in our pursuit of poverty reduction, MCC will continue to make the economic empowerment of women a priority, regardless of which countries and sectors we are investing in.

In remarks to the media on November 5, U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin provided an update on the United States' decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran. Highlights from their remarks are featured below.

“Today we are re-imposing all sanctions that were previously lifted under the #Iran nuclear deal. This includes sanctions on energy, banking, shipping, and shipbuilding.” - @SecPompeopic.twitter.com/lleifimanW

The U.S. has reimposed tough sanctions on #Iran’s regime as part of our relentless pressure campaign to convince the regime to change its destructive behavior. Iran’s regime has a choice: change its behavior and act like a normal country or watch the escalating pressure continue. pic.twitter.com/Yg0e8ovDPs

.@SecPompeo: Because of the sanctions we are announcing today, #Iran will have zero oil revenue to spend on terrorism, missile proliferation, regional proxies, or a nuclear program. pic.twitter.com/Esuj3NNgur

Companies risk their reputation engaging with #Iran’s regime, which spreads violence and instability in the region and around the world. Companies that evade our sanctions and continue sanctionable commerce with the Iranian regime will face severe penalties. pic.twitter.com/sGbl5I5UpH

Earlier this year, President Donald J. Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and implemented a new campaign aimed at fundamentally altering the behavior of the Iranian regime. In August 2018, President Trump announced the United States would take action to reimpose nuclear-related sanctions that were lifted in connection with the JCPOA. These actions included reimposing sanctions on Iran’s automotive sector and on its trade in gold and precious metals, as well as sanctions related to the Iranian rial.

On November 2, 2018, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin announced that the remaining United States nuclear-related sanctions on Iran will resume effective November 5. Secretary Pompeo said, "These sanctions hit at the core areas of Iran’s economy. They are necessary to spur changes we seek on the part of the regime."

Leading up to the United States reimposing nuclear-related sanctions with respect to Iran, Secretary Pompeo outlined 12 requirements for the Iranian regime to act like a normal state. These requirements are highlighted in the tweets below.

.@SecPompeo outlined 12 requirements for #Iran's regime to act like a normal state. With 12 days to go before the Nov. 4 sanctions deadline, here’s a daily reminder for the regime, starting with #12: Declare prior military dimensions of your nuclear program & abandon such work. pic.twitter.com/J3kx947rE9

With 11 days left until the Nov. 4 sanctions deadline, here’s a reminder about the 11th requirement for the regime in #Iran to behave like a normal state: The regime must stop enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing. This includes closing its heavy water reactor. pic.twitter.com/qvXyzduDrq

There are 10 days left before the Nov. 4 sanctions deadline, so here’s a reminder about the 10th requirement for the Islamic Republic of #Iran to behave like a normal state: The Iranian regime must provide @iaeaorg with unqualified access to all sites throughout the country. pic.twitter.com/RPmlVwSfSm

The November 4 #Iran sanctions deadline is 9 days away. Here's a reminder of the 9th requirement for the regime: the Iranian regime must end its proliferation of ballistic missiles and half further launching or development of nuclear-capable missile systems. pic.twitter.com/nV9Oe7zxMc

There are 8 days until the November 4 #Iran sanctions deadline. Here is the 8th requirement for the #Iran regime: the Iranian regime must release all U.S. citizens, as well as citizens of our partners and allies, each of them detained on spurious charges. pic.twitter.com/wZjlD4lBRf

7 days from today, sanctions will be reimposed on #Iran’s regime. Here’s a reminder about the 7th requirement for the regime to behave like a normal state: it must end support to Middle East terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, and the Palestine Islamic Jihad. pic.twitter.com/CJpl7nqHQ2

With 6 days to go before the sanctions deadline, this is the 6th requirement for #Iran’s regime to behave like a normal state: The Iranian regime must respect the sovereignty of the Iraqi government and permit the disarming, demobilization, and reintegration of Shia militias. pic.twitter.com/IRsZR90KmN

There are 5 days until the #Iran sanctions deadline, so here’s a reminder for the regime about the 5th requirement to behave like a normal state: The Iranian regime must end its military support for the Houthi militia and work towards a peaceful political settlement in Yemen. pic.twitter.com/kyBjtjhTRI

With 4 days to go until the #Iran sanctions deadline, this is a reminder about the 4th requirement for the Islamic Republic of Iran to behave like a normal state: The Iranian regime must withdraw all forces under Iranian command throughout the entirety of Syria. pic.twitter.com/FsL5eah5Uo

There are only 3 days left before the #Iran sanctions deadline, so here’s the 3rd requirement for the Iranian regime to behave like a normal state: it must end support for the Taliban and other terrorists in Afghanistan and the region, and cease harboring senior al-Qaida leaders. pic.twitter.com/9R2rvjDSil

With the #Iran sanctions deadline just 2 days away, here’s a reminder about the 2nd requirement for the Islamic Republic of Iran to behave like a normal state: The Iranian regime must end the IRGC-Qods Force’s support for terrorists and militant partners. pic.twitter.com/s7YFeSzkhn

Final requirement before sanctions snap back on #Iran’s regime tomorrow: The regime must end its threatening behavior against its neighbors, including threats to destroy Israel, firing missiles into Saudi Arabia and UAE, threats to international shipping, and cyberattacks. pic.twitter.com/FrZbiRQyvf

Did you miss key foreign policy developments this week? Each week, DipNote recaps the latest U.S. Department of State highlights spanning a wide range of global issues, events, and initiatives in one blog post.

Today, we celebrate 20 years since the creation of our International #ReligiousFreedom office. Where this human right flourishes, there's greater stability and more economic opportunity. Thanks to @IRF_Ambassador Brownback for carrying the torch on this foreign policy priority.

Secretary Pompeo released a statement regarding the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27.

The murder of innocent people attending Sabbath services at the #TreeOfLifeSynagogue was an act of anti-Semitism and pure evil. We offer condolences to the victims’ families and gratitude to the brave first responders. May God comfort the Jewish community at this time of sorrow.

The Department of State continued its countdown to the November 4th Iran sanctions deadline by highlighting 12 requirements Secretary Pompeo outlined for the Iranian regime to act like a normal state. This week, the Department highlighted #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, and #3.

There are only 3 days left before the #Iran sanctions deadline, so here’s the 3rd requirement for the Iranian regime to behave like a normal state: it must end support for the Taliban and other terrorists in Afghanistan and the region, and cease harboring senior al-Qaida leaders. pic.twitter.com/9R2rvjDSil

In an October 28 statement, Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert stated that the United States “continues to follow developments in Sri Lanka with concern.” Spokesperson Nauert added, “We call on the President, in consultation with the Speaker, to immediately reconvene parliament and allow the democratically elected representatives of the Sri Lankan people to fulfill their responsibility to affirm who will lead their government.”

United States Congratulates Brazilian President-Elect

The United States congratulated Jair Bolsonaro on his election as the next president of Brazil, in a statement from Spokesperson Nauert.

“We salute Brazil’s strong commitment to democracy and congratulate the Brazilian people on participating in a successful election … We value our deep cooperation with Brazil and look forward to working with President-elect Bolsonaro in the coming years.”

“The United States extends its deepest condolences to those who lost family and loved ones in the October 29 plane crash in Indonesia,” Spokesperson Nauert said in an October 29 statement. “Preparations are underway to assist the Indonesian government in its investigation of this tragic accident.”

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Marks 40th Anniversary

For 40 years, @StateINL has kept Americans safe by combating int'l crime, including drug trafficking, transnational gang activity, and corruption. We will continue the fight to keep Americans safe, meeting new drug and crime threats as they emerge. Happy anniversary, @StateINL! https://t.co/k6PT4UsAxK

“The risk to the world from Iran increased during the JCPOA, and this administration is determined not to repeat that. We’re going to be diligent. These sanctions are not aimed at the Iranian people. Indeed, it is the Iranian people who we are supporting, and we hope that it will be the Iranian people that will demand that their government simply do the things that we’ve asked, to behave like a normal country.”

- Secretary Pompeo

United States Supports OSCE Mission to Investigate Human Rights Abuses in Chechnya

On November 1, the United States joined 15 other member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to invoke the Moscow Mechanism, a rare diplomatic action triggering a formal international fact-finding mission to look into reports of impunity for human rights violations and abuses in the Russian Federation’s Republic of Chechnya.

It's unthinkable that for 27 yrs UN members have blamed the US for denying human rights and freedoms to the Cuban people. Instead, countries should be focused on the real cause of the Cuban people's suffering—the dictatorship that has oppressed its people for decades. pic.twitter.com/RegnELCztQ

Secretary Pompeo, joined by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, conducted a briefing on November 2 to discuss the upcoming snap-back of sanctions against Iran.

.@SecPompeo: [This part of the campaign] is aimed at depriving the regime of the revenues that it uses to spread death and destruction around the world. Our ultimate aim is to compel #Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented outlaw activities & behave as a normal country.

Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook also gave a special briefing on November 2.

State Department Marks International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists

On November 2, Spokesperson Nauert released a statement marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The Spokesperson said, "Commemorating this day is particularly important this year, as we continue to seek all facts in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. We have taken initial action against those individuals believed to be responsible, and as Secretary Pompeo said last week, we will continue to explore additional measures against any individual determined to be responsible."

Welcoming International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology

Spokesperson Nauert welcomed the International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology in a November 2 statement.

Election of Doreen Bogdan-Martin to the International Telecommunication Union

Spokesperson Nauert commented on the election of Doreen Bogdan-Martin to the ITU in a statement on November 2.

We were honored to support her candidacy for this position and believe she is the right person for the job. Ms. Bogdan-Martin is the first woman to be elected for any senior leadership position at the ITU in its 153-year history."

-Spokesperson Nauert

Follow the State Department on Twitter and Facebook for additional information and updates.

]]>Exchange Visitors Embrace the Spirit of Volunteerism at TCS New York City Marathonhttp://blogs.state.gov/node/32871
node-32871-[delta]Fri, 02 Nov 2018 15:44:48 -0400DipNote Bloggers

On Sunday, November 4, more than 1,400 students, au pairs, and interns in the Exchange Visitor Program will volunteer at the TCS New York City Marathon, making them the largest and most diverse group of volunteers at the marathon for the fourth year in a row. Together, they make up more than 14 percent of the race’s total volunteers. The TCS New York City Marathon is the biggest one-day sporting event in the world, attracting over 50,000 runners from more than 135 countries from around the world.

The Exchange Visitor Program is an initiative led by the State Department that gives people from around the world an opportunity to visit the United States to study, teach, conduct research, share specialized skills, and receive on-the-job training for periods ranging from a few weeks to several years. During these exchanges, participants strengthen their English language skills, connect with Americans, and learn more about the United States. These experiences not only form strong bonds between the exchange participants and the Americans they meet, but also creates mutual understanding and cultural awareness in communities across the country and around the world. International participants make significant contributions to communities across the United States as they volunteer in local organizations, reinforcing the bonds that make America strong.

The Exchange Visitor Program volunteer presence at the marathon highlights the benefits that American citizens receive from State Department programs. The exchange participants will stand alongside U.S. volunteers at miles 5 and 6 in Brooklyn and mile 18 in Harlem providing water and encouragement to the runners.

Every year, runners are grateful for the refreshments, but it’s seeing a piece of home, whether it be their flag or cheers in their local language that gives them the strength to finish the race. It’s these moments where the volunteers experience firsthand the American values of volunteerism and civic engagement.

See Exchange Visitor Program Participants in Action

About the Author: Lynette Evans-Tiernan serves in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Students. Teachers. Exchange participants and alumni. Colleges and universities. Professionals. Volunteers. What do they have in common? They all bring the power of international education to life during International Education Week (IEW)!

IEW is an annual celebration of international exchange programs. Held November 12-16, 2018, IEW is a joint initiative organized by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education.

Looking for ideas about how you can get involved in #IEW2018 this year, from wherever you live? Consider taking part in one of these activities:

If you are a U.S. citizen who is considering study abroad, you must have a passport. If you already have one, be sure to check the expiration date. Your passport is required to be valid for at least six months after you return home from studying abroad and also have two or more blank pages, depending on your destination. If this isn’t the case, it is time to think about renewing it.

The good news is the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs is working across the country to make it easier for those who want to apply for or renew thier passports. These passport acceptance events are a part of the Department's annual "Passport to the World" events, which happen at universities across the country throughout the month of November.

What are the greatest benefits of international education? The people you meet and the new things you discover about them! This IEW, introduce yourself and share more about your country, culture, and your interest in exchange programs by participating in the #IEW2018 "Exchange Your Name" game. To participate in this game, use the graphic below to select questions about yourself using the letters in your name and share your answers on social media with #IEW2018.

Get the Latest International Education Statistics in the Open Doors Report

Where do students study abroad? How are enrollment numbers changing from year to year? During IEW, the U.S. Department of State, in collaboration with the Institute of International Education (IIE), will release the Open Doors Report. Be sure to check out the report to discover the latest trends in international education. You can even watch the release of the report live on Facebook.

Speaking of live events, if you’re an international student interested in studying in the United States, be sure to participate in EducationUSA’s virtual college fair with CollegeWeekLive November 14 from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. During this event, you can chat with admissions representatives from over 80 U.S. universities and EducationUSA advisers about qualifying for a student visa, finding a U.S. institution, and undergraduate and graduate admission requirements. Register here.

Will you discover a new place you want to visit or share something unique about your country with your classroom as a part of International Education Week? Are you a teacher whose students did a special project focusing on another culture, or did something to educate others on a different country in your community? Help us discover your stories on social media! Share them with us by using the hashtag #IEW2018 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can make an impact by lending your voice to promote the value of international education from a personal perspective. You can also help your family and friends learn more about the opportunities that are available to study abroad and experience the world when you share your #IEW2018 experiences on social media.

FLEX Program alumna Sofiia Zrazhaieva (Ukraine/IL) met a woman whose parents were from Ukraine while giving a presentation at a nursing home as part of IEW in 2017.

Whether it’s helping Americans find a study abroad program, learn a new language, prepare for a new global experience, or attracting future leaders from abroad to study in the United States, International Education Week is something worth celebrating this November and year-round! Thanks for joining the celebration.

The end of the Cold War forced new thinking among policymakers and analysts about the greatest challenges to U.S. national security. The emergence of al Qaeda,cybercriminals, and other dangerous entities affirmed the threat of nonstate actors. But equally daunting has been the resurgence of outlaw regimes—rogue states that defy international norms, fail to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and act against the security of the American people, U.S. allies and partners, and the rest of the world.

Chief among these outlaw regimes are North Korea and Iran. Their transgressions against international peace are many, but both nations are most notorious for having spent decades pursuing nuclear weapons programs in violation of international prohibitions. Despite Washington’s best efforts at diplomacy, Pyongyang hoodwinked U.S. policymakers with a string of broken arms control agreements going back to the George H. W. Bush administration. North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs continued apace, to the point where after Donald Trump was elected, President Barack Obama told him that this would be his greatest national security challenge. With Iran, likewise, the deal that the Obama administration struck in 2015—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA—failed to end the country’s nuclear ambitions. In fact, because Iran knew that the Obama administration would prioritize preserving the deal over everything else, the JCPOA created a sense of impunity on the part of the regime, allowing it to increase its support for malign activity. The deal has also given Tehran piles of money, which the supreme leader has used to sponsor all types of terrorism throughout the Middle East (with few consequences in response) and which have boosted the economic fortunes of a regime that remains bent on exporting its revolution abroad and imposing it at home.

That the threats from North Korea and Iran grew in the post–Iraq war era has further complicated the question of how best to counteract them; Americans are rightly skeptical of the costs of a protracted military commitment in the name of protection from weapons of mass destruction. With the difficulties of Iraq fresh in mind, and with previous agreements to restrain the threats from North Korea and Iran having proved impotent, stopping these recalcitrant regimes from doing harm demands new diplomatic paradigms.

Enter President Trump. For all of the Washington establishment’s fretting over his style of international engagement, his diplomacy is anchored in a deliberate approach that gives the United States an advantage in confronting outlaw regimes.

The Trump Doctrine

Both on the campaign trail and in office, President Trump has been clear about the need for bold American leadership to put the United States’ security interests first. This commonsense principle reverses the Obama administration’s preferred posture of “leading from behind,” an accommodationist strategy that incorrectly signaled diminished American power and influence. Leading from behind made North Korea a greater threat today than ever before. Leading from behind at best only delayed Iran’s pursuit of becoming a nuclear power, while allowing the Islamic Republic’s malign influence and terror threat to grow.

Today, both North Korea and Iran have been put on notice that the United States will not allow their destabilizing activities to go unchecked. The aggressive multinational pressure campaign that the United States has led against North Korea, combined with the president’s clear and unequivocal statements that the United States will defend its vital interests with force if necessary, created the conditions for the talks that culminated in President Trump’s summit with Chairman Kim Jong Un in Singapore this past June. It was there that Chairman Kim committed to the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea. North Korea has made similar commitments in the past, but unlike those, this was the first time there was a personal, leader-to-leader commitment on denuclearization. That may or may not signal a major strategic shift on the part of Chairman Kim, and we have much work to do to gauge his intentions and make sure his commitment is implemented. But President Trump’s approach has created an opportunity to peacefully resolve an issue of vital national security that has long vexed policymakers. The president, our special representative for North Korea (Stephen Biegun), and I will continue to work with clear eyes to seize this opportunity.

With Iran, similarly, the Trump administration is pursuing a “maximum pressure” campaign designed to choke off revenues that the regime—and particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), part of Iran’s military that is directly beholden to the supreme leader—uses to fund violence through Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Palestinian territories, the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, and its own agents covertly plotting around the world.

Yet President Trump does not want another long-term U.S. military engagement in the Middle East—or in any other region, for that matter. He has spoken openly about the dreadful consequences of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 2011 intervention in Libya. Pundits may gin up fear over the idea that this administration will get the United States into a war, but it is clear that Americans have a president who, while not afraid to use military power (just ask the Islamic State, the Taliban, or the Assad regime), is not eager to use it, either. Overwhelming military force will always be a backstop for protecting the American people, but it should not be the first option.

Another important aspect of the president’s diplomacy is his willingness to talk to the United States’ staunchest adversaries. As he said in July, “Diplomacy and engagement is preferable to conflict and hostility.” Consider his approach to North Korea: his diplomacy with Chairman Kim diffused tensions that were escalating by the day.

Complementing the president’s willingness to engage is his instinctual aversion to bad deals. His understanding of the importance of leverage in any negotiation eliminates the potential for deeply counterproductive agreements like the JCPOA. He is willing to forge agreements with U.S. rivals, but he is also comfortable walking away from negotiations if they don’t end up furthering U.S. interests. This is in stark contrast to the Obama administration’s approach to the JCPOA, in which the deal itself became an objective to be obtained at all costs.

When considering a future North Korea deal that is superior to the JCPOA, we have described our objective as “the final, fully verified denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as agreed to by Chairman Kim Jong Un.” “Final” means that there will be no possibility that North Korea will ever restart its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs—something the JCPOA did not provide for with Iran. “Fully verified” means that there will be stronger verification standards than were required under the JCPOA, which, among other weaknesses, did not require inspections at key Iranian military facilities. The exact contours of a North Korea agreement remain to be negotiated, but “final” and “fully verified” are centerpieces on which we will not compromise.

The Iranian Threat

President Trump’s commitment to the American people’s security, combined with his aversion to the unnecessary use of military force and his willingness to talk to adversaries, has provided a new framework for confronting outlaw regimes. And today, no regime has more of an outlaw character than that of Iran. That has been the case since 1979, when a relatively small cadre of Islamic revolutionaries seized power. The regime’s revolutionary mindset has motivated its actions ever since—in fact, soon after its founding, the IRGC created the Quds Force, its elite special forces unit, and tasked it with exporting the revolution abroad. Ever since, regime officials have subordinated all other domestic and international responsibilities, including their obligations to the Iranian people, to fulfilling the revolution.

As a result, over the past four decades, the regime has sown a great deal of destruction and instability, bad behavior that did not end with the JCPOA. The deal did not permanently prevent Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon—indeed, the statement in April by Iran’s top nuclear official that the country could restart its nuclear program in days suggests that it may not have delayed that program very much at all. Nor did the deal curtail Iran’s violent and destabilizing activity in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza. Iran still supplies the Houthis with missiles that are fired at Saudi Arabia, supports Hamas’ attacks on Israel, and recruits impressionable Afghan, Iraqi, and Pakistani youth to fight and die in Syria. Thanks to Iranian subsidies, the average Lebanese Hezbollah fighter earns two or three times per month what a fireman in Tehran brings home.

In May 2018, President Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal because it was clearly not protecting the national security interests of the United States or our allies and partners, nor was it making Iran behave like a normal country. In July, an Iranian diplomat based in Vienna was arrested for supplying explosives to terrorists seeking to bomb a political rally in France. It is telling that while Iran’s leaders try to convince Europe to stay in the nuclear deal, they are covertly plotting terrorist attacks in the heart of the continent. Taken together, Iran’s actions have made the country a pariah, much to the despair of its own people.

The Pressure Campaign

In place of the Iran nuclear deal, President Trump has initiated a multi-pronged pressure campaign. Its first component is economic sanctions. The president recognizes the power of sanctions to squeeze the regime while incurring a low opportunity cost for the United States. Under the Trump administration, the United States has imposed 17 rounds of Iran-related sanctions, targeting 147 Iran-related individuals and entities.

The goal of these aggressive sanctions is to force the Iranian regime to make a choice: whether to cease or persist in the policies that triggered the measures in the first place. Iran’s decision to continue its destructive activity has already had grave economic consequences, which have been exacerbated by officials’ gross mismanagement in pursuit of their own self-interests. Extensive meddling in the economy by the IRGC, under the guise of privatization, makes doing business in Iran a losing proposition, and foreign investors never know whether they are facilitating commerce or terrorism. Instead of using what wealth the JCPOA has generated to boost the material well-being of the Iranian people, the regime has parasitically consumed it and shelled out billions in subsidies for dictators, terrorists, and rogue militias. Iranians are understandably frustrated. The rial’s value has collapsed in the past year. A third of Iranian youth are unemployed. Unpaid wages are leading to rampant strikes. Fuel and water shortages are common.

This malaise is a problem of the regime’s own making. Iran’s elite resembles a Mafia in its racketeering and corruption. Two years ago, Iranians rightfully erupted in anger when leaked pay stubs showed massive amounts of money inexplicably flowing into the bank accounts of senior government officials. For years, clerics and officials have wrapped themselves in the cloak of religion while robbing the Iranian people blind. Today, protesters chant to the regime, “You have plundered us in the name of religion.” According to the London-based newspaper Kayhan, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, the head of Iran’s judiciary, who the United States sanctioned this year for human rights abuses, is worth at least $300 million, thanks to the embezzlement of public funds. Nasser Makarem Shirazi, a grand ayatollah, is also worth many millions of dollars. He became known as “the Sultan of Sugar” for having pressured the Iranian government to lower subsidies to domestic sugar producers while flooding the market with his own, more expensive imported sugar. This type of activity puts ordinary Iranians out of work. Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, one of the leaders of Friday prayers in Tehran for the last 30 years, had the government transfer several lucrative mines to his personal foundation. He, too, is now worth millions. The corruption goes all the way to the top. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has his own personal, off-the-books hedge fund called the Setad, which is worth $95 billion. That untaxed and ill-gotten wealth, often earned by expropriating the assets of political and religious minorities, is used as a slush fund for the IRGC. In other words, Iran’s leading holy man captains the kind of plundering characteristic of Third World strongmen.

The regime’s greed has created a chasm between the people of Iran and their leaders, making it difficult for officials to credibly persuade young Iranians to be the vanguard of the next generation of the revolution. The theocratic ayatollahs can preach “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” day and night, but they cannot mask their rank hypocrisy. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, has degrees from San Francisco State University and the University of Denver, and Ali Akbar Velayati, the supreme leader’s top adviser, studied at Johns Hopkins University. Khamenei himself is chauffeured around in a BMW, even as he calls for the Iranian people to buy goods made in Iran. This phenomenon is similar to what occurred in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s, when the spirit of 1917 began to ring hollow on account of the hypocrisy of its champions. The Politburo could no longer with a straight face tell Soviet citizens to embrace communism when Soviet officials were themselves secretly peddling smuggled blue jeans and Beatles records.

Iran’s leaders—especially those at the top of the IRGC, such as Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force—must be made to feel the painful consequences of their violence and corruption. Given that the regime is controlled by a desire for self-enrichment and a revolutionary ideology from which it will not easily depart, sanctions must be severe if they are to change entrenched habits. That’s why the Trump administration is reimposing U.S. sanctions that were lifted or waived as part of the nuclear deal; the first of these went back into effect on August 7, with the remainder coming back on November 5. We intend to get global imports of Iranian crude oil as close to zero as possible by November 4. As part of our campaign to crush the Iranian regime’s terrorist financing, we have also worked with the United Arab Emirates to disrupt a currency exchange network that was transferring millions of dollars to the Quds Force. The United States is asking every nation that is sick and tired of the Islamic Republic’s destructive behavior to stand up for the Iranian people and join our pressure campaign. Our efforts will be ably led by our new special representative for Iran, Brian Hook.

Economic pressure is one part of the U.S. campaign. Deterrence is another. President Trump believes in clear measures to discourage Iran from restarting its nuclear program or continuing its other malign activities. With Iran and other countries, he has made it clear that he will not tolerate attempts to bully the United States; he will punch back hard if U.S. security is threatened. Chairman Kim has felt this pressure, and he would never have come to the table in Singapore without it. The president’s own public communications themselves function as a deterrence mechanism. The all-caps tweet he directed at Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in July, in which he instructed Iran to stop threatening the United States, was informed by a strategic calculation: the Iranian regime understands and fears the United States’ military might. In September, militias in Iraq launched life-threatening rocket attacks against the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad and the U.S. consulate in Basra. Iran did not stop these attacks, which were carried out by proxies it has supported with funding, training, and weapons. The United States will hold the regime in Tehran accountable for any attack that results in injury to our personnel or damage to our facilities. America will respond swiftly and decisively in defense of American lives.

We do not seek war. But we must make painfully clear that escalation is a losing proposition for Iran; the Islamic Republic cannot match the United States’ military prowess, and we are not afraid to let Iran’s leaders know it.

Iran Exposed

Another critical component of the U.S. pressure campaign against Iran is a commitment to exposing the regime’s brutality. Outlaw authoritarian regimes fear nothing more than having the lid blown off their true workings. The Trump administration will continue to reveal the regime’s illicit revenue streams, malign activities, crooked self-dealing, and savage oppression. The Iranian people themselves deserve to know the grotesque level of self-interest that fuels the regime’s actions. Khamenei and his ilk would not be able to tolerate the domestic and international outrage that would ensue if everything they were up to came to light. Beginning last year, protesters have taken to the street saying, “Leave Syria, think about us!” and “The people are paupers while the mullahs live like gods!” The United States stands with the Iranian people.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan understood the power of exposure when he cast the Soviet Union as “an evil empire.” By throwing a spotlight on the regime’s abuses, he was pledging solidarity with a people who had long suffered under communism. It is likewise for the sake of the Iranian people that the Trump administration has not been afraid to expose the regime’s merciless domestic repression. The regime is so wedded to certain ideological principles—including the export of the Islamic Revolution through proxy warfare and the subversion of fellow Muslim-majority countries, implacable opposition to Israel and the United States, and stringent social controls that restrict the rights of women—that it cannot endure any competing ideas. Hence, it has for decades denied its own people human rights, dignity, and fundamental freedoms. That is why in May, for example, Iranian police arrested Maedeh Hojabri, a teenage gymnast, for posting an Instagram video of herself dancing.

The regime’s views on women are particularly retrograde. Since the revolution, women have been required to wear the hijab, and as enforcement, government morality police beat women in the streets and arrest those who refuse to comply. Recent protests against this policy on female dress show that it has failed, and Khamenei surely must know it. Yet in July, an activist was sentenced to 20 years in prison for removing her hijab.

The regime also regularly arrests religious or ethnic minorities, including Bahais, Christians, and Gonabadi dervishes, when they speak out in support of their rights. Untold numbers of Iranians are tortured and die in Evin Prison—a place no kinder than the basement of the Lubyanka, the dreaded headquarters of the kgb. Those imprisoned include several innocent Americans detained on spurious charges, victims of the regime’s use of hostage taking as a tool of foreign policy.

Beginning last December, demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, Arak, and many other cities to peacefully call for a better life. In response, the regime welcomed in the new year in January by arbitrarily arresting up to 5,000 of them. Hundreds reportedly remain behind bars, and more than a dozen are dead at the hands of their own government. The leaders cynically call these deaths suicide.

It is in keeping with the character of the United States that we expose these abuses. As President Reagan said in a speech at Moscow State University in 1988, “Freedom is the recognition that no single person, no single authority or government, has a monopoly on the truth, but that every individual life is infinitely precious, that every one of us put on this world has been put there for a reason and has something to offer.” In May, the Trump administration enumerated 12 areas in which Iran must make progress if there is to be any change in our relationship, including fully halting its uranium enrichment, providing a full account of the prior military dimensions of its nuclear program, ending its proliferation of ballistic missiles and provocative missile launches, releasing imprisoned U.S. citizens, ending its support for terrorism, and more.

President Trump has made clear that the pressure will only increase if Iran does not live up to the standards the United States and its partners and allies—and the Iranian people themselves—want to see. That is why Washington is also demanding that Tehran make substantial improvements on human rights. As the president has consistently said, he remains open to talks. But as is the case with North Korea, the United States will continue its pressure campaign until Iran demonstrates tangible and sustained shifts in its policies. If Iran makes those shifts, the possibility of a new comprehensive agreement will greatly increase. We think a deal with the regime is possible. In the absence of one, Iran will face increasing costs for all its reckless and violent activity around the world.

President Trump prefers not to conduct this campaign alone; he wants U.S. allies and partners on board. Indeed, other countries already share a common understanding of the threat Iran poses beyond its nuclear aspirations. French President Emmanuel Macron has said, “It is important to remain firm with Iran over its regional activities and its ballistic program”; British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that she is “clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the Gulf and the wider Middle East.” This widespread agreement about the Iranian threat leaves no room for countries to remain ambivalent about whether to join the global effort to change Iran’s behavior, an effort that is big and getting bigger.

The Power of Moral Clarity

President Trump inherited a world in some ways as dangerous as the one faced by the United States on the eve of World War I, the one right before World War II, or that during the height of the Cold War. But his disruptive boldness, first on North Korea and now on Iran, has shown how much progress can be made by marrying clarity of conviction with an emphasis on nuclear nonproliferation and strong alliances. President Trump’s actions in confronting outlaw regimes stem from the belief that moral confrontation leads to diplomatic conciliation.

This was the blueprint for one of the great foreign policy triumphs of the last century: the American victory in the Cold War. In the first week of his presidency, President Reagan described Soviet leaders, saying, “The only morality they recognize is what will further their cause, meaning they reserve unto themselves the right to commit any crime, to lie, to cheat.” Foreign policy analysts derided his comments, believing their candor would hinder progress toward peace. But the president had also emphasized a commitment to negotiate with the Soviets, a fact that went largely ignored. President Reagan’s combination of moral clarity and diplomatic acuity laid the groundwork for the 1986 talks in Reykjavik and, later, the downfall of Soviet communism itself.

Those who still bow to the same totemic conviction that candor impedes negotiations must recognize the effect that targeted rhetorical and practical pressure have had -- and are having -- on outlaw regimes. At the rate that the Iranian economy is declining and protests are intensifying, it should be clear to the Iranian leadership that negotiations are the best way forward.

Editor's Note: This writing constitutes a “work of the United States Government” as that term is defined under Federal copyright law, and first appeared in published form as an article in the November/December 2018 issue of Foreign Affairs.

]]>From San Diego to San Francisco: The State Department&#039;s Impact on Californiahttp://blogs.state.gov/node/32676
node-32676-[delta]Wed, 31 Oct 2018 06:50:55 -0400DipNote Bloggers

The State Department benefits the American people by advancing U.S. national security, promoting our economic interests, providing services, and reaffirming our country’s exceptional role in the world. These impacts are fear reaching across the “Golden State” of California.

For tourists and students alike, California is often a dream destination -- the source from which many draw their ideas of America. From the glitz and glam of Hollywood to the innovative spirit that fuels Silicon Valley, California is at the top of many bucket lists. It is, therefore, no surprise that California is ranked number one in the United States for the number of international students its colleges and universities attract. In fact, international students contributed an estimated $5.2 billion to the California economy in the 2015-2016 academic year. EducationUSA, the State Department’s official educational network which provides unbiased information about U.S. higher education to students at advising centers in more than 175 countries, regularly promotes study in the United States, including California. Whether from Japan, India, Peru, or Nigeria or whether in the classroom or sitting on surfboards off the California coast, international students contribute both to California’s economy and the United States' goals of building mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Connections are inevitably made during exchange programs, but they are also made through the recognition of common goals. In one case, the shared goal of countering violent extremism (CVE) has brought cities around the world together. The Strong Cities Network – launched and sustained by the State Department – is a global network of mayors, municipal-level policy makers, and practitioners united in building social cohesion and community resilience. The network is made up of over 125 cities worldwide, including Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait participated in the Network’s Global Summit in Denmark in May 2017, and in February he co-led a delegation to India, along with Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, which included a meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Los Angeles was a stop for the 18 International Visitors who connected with U.S. practitioners on local CVE strategies during the Strong Cities exchange program in 2017, and the city will host the 2019 Strong Cities Network Global Summit.

The State Department facilitates important connections that have the potential to save lives. Every year, California faces potentially devastating wildfires that threaten its communities. In 2017, U.S. Embassy Canberra signed the Wildland Fire Management Resources Agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Interior, and Emergency Management Australia to help facilitate bilateral resource-sharing to combat wildfires. In October 2017, under a separate state-to-state agreement, the Australian State of Victoria sent 33 emergency management staff to help fight wildfires in Northern California.

From fighting wildfires to building connections in the classroom, the State Department regularly establishes avenues to positively impact the United States. But, when we bring together stakeholders that benefit Californians… eureka! We create golden opportunities.

As you read this, I am on my first trip to the continent of Africa as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs. I am delighted to return to the continent where I served for decades in a variety of roles, including Deputy Chief of Mission and Ambassador and where now my primary role is to deepen and expand relations between the United States and the countries and people across the continent. What will be a two-week trip includes stops in Togo, Guinea, Mali and Nigeria to engage with governments, businesses, and civil society.

Africa is incredibly important to me personally. I’m Hungarian by birth, American by citizenship and education; but I gave my heart to Africa shortly after I arrived there in 1978.

My family spent over 20 years at eight diplomatic posts on the continent and my three children were the first set of triplets born in the newly independent Zimbabwe.

On this trip, I have set out four themes as part of my engagement. The first is to promote stronger trade and commercial ties between the United States and Africa by creating a level playing field across African markets for all companies, regardless of where they come from.

This means placing an emphasis on rule of law, transparency, recourse for investors, and fighting corruption.

My second priority is harnessing the potential of Africa’s youth as a force for economic ingenuity and prosperity.

Everyone who follows trends in Africa knows that a demographic “tsunami” is coming between now and 2050, when the continent will double its population to more than two billion and the percentage of Africans younger than 25 years of age will surpass 75 percent. These millions of Africans, connected and wired via social media as much as their counterparts in Europe, America, or Asia, will have high aspirations for employment and a better quality of life – no different from young people anywhere else in the world.

African leaders are beginning to understand that their most important challenge is to create meaningful and lasting jobs for their youth. I plan to do all I can to help since I believe the United States is the ideal partner for Africa in building and strengthening democratic institutions and creating the type of business environments that will attract private sector investment that fosters economic growth and create jobs.

Unless we harness the entrepreneurial spirit and dynamism of young Africans, and help create jobs and opportunities that will help them thrive in their countries, we will not see the economic development needed to sustain these populations and we will continue to see more young Africans taking the perilous route of trying to reach Europe.

My third goal is to advance peace and security through partnerships with African governments and regional mechanisms. The transnational challenges of terrorism and extremism in the Sahel, Northern Nigeria, Somalia, and now in Central Africa, and the rise of Boko Harem, Al Qaeda in the Magreb, ISIS West Africa, and Al Shabaab, require new, determined regional approaches to counteract these groups. This includes better-trained and paid African security and law enforcement.

I look forward to engaging productively with the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and what I hope will be an inclusive and re-energized Intergovernmental Authority for Government.

Finally, I want to set the record straight – the United States has an unwavering commitment to the continent and its people. From the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief to Power Africa, to the African Growth and Opportunity Act, Feed the Future, the Young African Leaders Initiative, and numerous other development and exchange programs, the United States has stood side-by-side with African nations since de-colonization to improve livelihoods, increase life expectancy, open our markets to African exports, promote democracy and human rights, and elevate Africa’s place in the world.

I remain a firm Afro-optimist and I look forward to my trip and to strengthening our friendship with African partners.

Iraq’s ethnic and religious minorities suffered unspeakable atrocities under the genocidal rule of ISIS. Beyond the toll that ISIS took on Iraq’s Shia and Sunni populations, ISIS systematically targeted Christian, Kaka’i, Shabak, Turkmen, and Yezidi communities across Ninewa and Kirkuk Provinces. ISIS subjected these groups to countless atrocities, including individual and mass killings, crucifixion, slavery, torture, and rape. The United States is committed to helping these historically marginalized and recently devastated communities safely return to their ancestral homelands and rebuild their lives in peace. One of the obstacles keeping Iraqi minorities from returning to their homes is dangerous explosive hazards, including landmines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) left by ISIS. These devices indiscriminately kill returning civilians, deny repair teams access to damaged critical infrastructure associated with the delivery of essential services, impede cultivation of farmland, delay economic recovery, and perpetuate ISIS’s reign of terror long after they are gone.

Since 2015 ERW clearance teams funded by the Department of State have cleared more than 10,500 explosive hazards in minority communities across Ninewa and Kirkuk Provinces affecting critical infrastructure associated with the delivery of clean water, power, healthcare, and education, as well as homes, churches, temples, and farmland. The U.S. Department of State obligated approximately $37 million dollars in fiscal year 2017 to support ERW survey, clearance, and risk education in and around Iraqi minority communities. This increased support fulfils a pledge to expand ERW clearance in Iraqi minority communities made by Secretary Pompeo at the July 2018 Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, and will enable our partners on the ground to recruit and train 15 new ERW clearance teams focused on clearing the ancestral homelands of Iraq’s Christian and Yezidi communities. These new teams will complement the efforts of the 30 U.S.-funded survey, clearance, and risk education teams currently deployed across Ninewa.

ISIS singled out Christian and Yezidi villages in Ninewa during its reign of terror, destroying houses of worship, shrines, homes, and cemeteries while subjecting Christian and Yezidi residents to some of the group’s most depraved atrocities. While ISIS has been driven out of the ancestral homelands of Iraq’s Christian and Yezidi communities, the threat of ISIS ERW persists. U.S.-funded clearance of dangerous explosive hazards has allowed repair teams from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Iraq to safely access infrastructure damaged by ISIS and restore the delivery of essential services, including clean water, to Christian and other religious minority communities across the Ninewa Plains. One example of this support is the Khwajat Khalil water pipeline, which is a key source of water for the Tel Kaif, Al Qosh, and Wana Districts of Ninewa. The pipeline originates northwest of Mosul in the town of Khwajat Khalil, where water is extracted from the Tigris River, treated, and then pumped north through a series of pipelines that delivered clean water to approximately 60,000 people prior to being disrupted by ISIS.

Once Khwajat Khalil and the surrounding areas were liberated from ISIS, UNDP and local authorities prioritized repairing the pipeline to restore the delivery of clean water. These repairs, however, could not be conducted safely until the pipeline and surrounding areas were cleared of explosive hazards left by ISIS. U.S.-funded partner Janus Global Operations took on the dangerous task of clearing approximately five miles of pipeline to facilitate the repairs. During the clearance process, Janus and their Iraqi partner, Al Fahad, methodically removed more than 160 ISIS IEDs located along the pipeline. Thanks to this rapid U.S.-funded assistance, UNDP and Iraqi engineers were able to safely repair the pipeline, which once again provides clean water to returning minority communities in the Ninewa Plains. Additionally, the clearance of several large IED belts identified by Janus while clearing the pipeline has enabled local communities to farm the fertile land surrounding the pipeline safely.

Two of the 160 ISIS IEDs cleared from the Khwajat Khalil Pipeline by U.S.-funded teams. (Photo courtesy of Janus Global Operations)

In addition to facilitating access to critical infrastructure and the delivery of essential social services, U.S.-funded ERW clearance operations are making it safe for Iraqis to return to their houses of worship. ISIS occupied the town of Karamlees, located 18 miles southeast of Mosul, from August 2014 to October 2016. During this period, ISIS destroyed and desecrated Karamlees’ churches, monasteries, and cemeteries, as well as laid several large belts of IEDs around the town to impede advances by Iraqi Security Forces and deny returning communities access to fertile land. U.S.-funded NGO Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) recently cleared 30 ISIS IEDs in Karamlees that were preventing families from Karamlees and surrounding villages from safely living their lives. The clearance of this IED belt, as well as other IEDs and UXO in Karamlees, has enabled local residents to safely return to their homes and attend their churches without being terrorized by buried ISIS bombs.

When ISIS invaded Sinjar and surrounding towns in 2014, they killed more than 3,000 Yezidis and took at least 6,000 of them hostage as sex slaves or child soldiers, half of whom remain missing. ISIS destroyed Yezidi temples, demolished homes in Yezidi villages, and littered the surrounding farmland with IEDs. The United States was one of the first countries to support ERW clearance activities in Yezidi villages liberated from ISIS in Ninewa’s Sinjar District and is currently the largest international supporter of ERW clearance efforts in this area. Across Sinjar, U.S.-funded ERW clearance operations carried out by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) have helped facilitate the return of displaced Yezidis through the clearance of ERW from infrastructure, homes, and farmland. U.S. funding has also enabled MAG to clear ERW from several Yezidi temples, enabling local communities to rebuild their houses of worship safely.

ISIS captured the Yezidi town of Barbaroshk in August 2014, destroying numerous homes and littering the area with explosive hazards before Iraqi forces liberated the town in November 2016. Following the liberation of Barbaroshk, MAG began the dangerous and methodical process of surveying the village and clearing explosive hazards left by ISIS. During this process, Yezidi clearance teams employed by MAG removed 22 ISIS IEDs and 11 pieces of unexploded ordnance (UXO) that were threatening the safety of local residents as well as blocking safe access to a water supply point that provides drinking water to four surrounding villages. Because of this timely U.S. assistance, many of Barbaroshk’s residents have returned to their homes and local engineers were able to rehabilitate the water supply point safely.

Local workers safely rehabilitate the Barbaroskh water station after the clearance of 33 explosive hazards by U.S.-funded teams. (Photo courtesy of MAG)

Beyond Christian and Yezidi communities, ISIS also singled out Turkmen, Kaka’i, and Shabaks across Ninewa and Kirkuk. U.S.-funded ERW clearance operations have played a critical role facilitating access to clean water, power, healthcare, education, farmland, and fisheries for these communities, from Tal Afar in Ninewa to Albo Muhammad in Kirkuk. In the historically Turkmen city of Tal Afar, for example, U.S. partners cleared numerous grain storage and processing facilities as well as farmland to help facilitate the safe redevelopment of what was a thriving agricultural center prior to the destructive reign of ISIS. In the Kaka’i village of Taraba, U.S.-funded clearance teams removed 31 ISIS IEDs from three local fish farms, enabling the local community to rebuild its economy.

ISIS’s efforts to eradicate Iraq’s ethnic and religious minorities has left deep scars; and the United States remains committed to helping these persecuted communities recover from the death and destruction delivered by ISIS. U.S.-funded ERW clearance efforts play a critical role in removing ISIS’s deadly legacy and laying the groundwork for these communities to return safely to their ancestral homelands and rebuild their lives with dignity and respect.

The United States has invested over $176,000,000 since 2015 in the safety and security of the Iraqi people through the ERW survey, clearance, and risk education. This support continues to save lives on a daily basis, and helps lay the foundation for a stable and prosperous Iraq. To learn more about the United States’ global conventional weapons destruction efforts, check out our annual report, To Walk the Earth in Safety, and follow us on Twitter @StateDeptPM.

October 27th is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day (Take Back Day) in the United States. This day is one of two such days annually, on which the Drug Enforcement Administration, in partnership with Federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement, businesses, medical offices, federal agencies, and first responders host events to collect and safely dispose of unneeded medication.

On each Take Back Day, thousands of pounds of prescription drugs are returned, helping to prevent incidents of drug abuse and misuse across the nation. At the last National Take Back Day, Americans collected a record-breaking 900,000 pounds of prescription drugs, more than the weight of three Boeing 757s.

Confronting the Driving Forces Behind the Opioid Crisis

From ingesting out-of-date prescription drugs to abuse and misuse of prescriptions, keeping unneeded prescriptions poses a number of risks. Overprescribing and stockpiling of opioids contributes to our nation’s opioid epidemic. Take Back Day supports President Donald J. Trump's initiative to stop opioid abuse and to reduce supply and demand.

President Trump’s initiative to stop opioid abuse is confronting the driving forces behind the opioid crisis, educating Americans about the dangers of opioid misuse and curbing over-prescription, and cracking down on international and domestic illicit drug supply chains devastating American communities.

The State Department is Working to Stop Overseas Drug Production and Trafficking

The devastating consequences of substance use know no geographic, economic, social, or ethnic boundaries. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people around the globe–rich, poor, educated, illiterate, male, female, and even young children–die from substance abuse, and millions more are victims of addiction and drug-fueled violence.

In the United States, between 2012 and 2016, the number of U.S. overdose cases involving synthetic opioids increased by nearly 640 percent. Over 42,000 Americans died from overdosing on opioids in 2016 alone, and more recent preliminary data is even more alarming. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is leading the U.S. Department of State’s efforts to stop illicit opioids from being produced overseas and trafficked into the United States.

INL is thinking critically about how to better keep up with the dynamic threats we are combating through a number of new initiatives, including:

Updating our international drug control system to keep pace with the proliferation of new psychoactive substances;

Expanding global capacity to capture and share advance electronic data for international mail parcels destined for the United States;

Increasing support for global drug early warning and information sharing systems;

Expanding the provision of technical assistance in illicit substance detection, forensics, and cyber investigation; and

Sharing U.S. expertise on prevention, treatment, and recovery programs to reduce drug demand in foreign jurisdictions.

INL is working diligently to meet the challenges posed by illicit opioids by partnering with a range of actors including foreign governments, law enforcement agencies, the private sector, and multilateral institutions. But there is a role for everyone. By participating in Take Back Day, you can do your part to help prevent incidents of drug abuse and misuse across the United States.

October 27 is International Religious Freedom Day and marks the passage of the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRF Act). This year is the 20th anniversary of the signing of the IRF Act into law.

In a statement, Secretary Pompeo underscored the impact of this legislation, "The IRF Act expanded U.S. foreign policy capabilities to promote and defend religious freedom around the world. It builds on our founding fathers’ firm conviction that the freedom of individuals to believe as they see fit is a God-given right that is central to the success of a nation."

Secretary Pompeo also underscored the importance of protecting religious freedom to the United States foreign policy. The Secretary said, "The protection of religious freedom is central to the Trump administration’s foreign policy, and protecting this human right is an essential part of who we are as Americans. Religious freedom appears first among the rights enumerated in our Constitution. Where religious freedom flourishes, there is greater stability and more economic opportunity."

Today, we celebrate 20 years since the creation of our International #ReligiousFreedom office. Where this human right flourishes, there's greater stability and more economic opportunity. Thanks to @IRF_Ambassador Brownback for carrying the torch on this foreign policy priority.

Did you miss key foreign policy developments this week? Each week, DipNote recaps the latest U.S. Department of State highlights spanning a wide range of global issues, events, and initiatives in one blog post.

In an October 20 statement by Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert, the United States welcomed the decision by Macedonia’s Parliament to initiate the constitutional changes needed to implement the Prespa Agreement with Greece, calling it “a historic opportunity to advance stability, security, and prosperity throughout the region.”

Secretary Pompeo Comments on the Migrant Caravan

On October 21, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo released a statement on the migrant caravan, saying that the United States is “closely following the migrant caravan” and emphasizing that “the United States will not allow illegal immigrants to enter or remain in the United States.”

On October 23, the Secretary addressed the migrant caravan in his remarks to the media.

The U.S. has a message for those in the caravan—you will not be successful getting into the United States. If you seek to come here as a refugee—go through the normal refugee process. You will not be granted entry into the U.S. through the illegal means of this caravan. pic.twitter.com/AFLm9DTX6F

State Department Comments on Recent Elections in Bhutan, Cameroon and Afghanistan

On October 21, Spokesperson Nauert released a statement congratulating the people of Bhutan on the conclusion of successful national elections.

In an October 22 statement, Spokesperson Nauert congratulated the people of Cameroon for largely peaceful elections on October 7.

In remarks to the media on October 23, Secretary Pompeo addressed Afghanistan's recent parliamentary elections.

We’re encouraged by high voter turnout in #Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections. We commend Afghan security forces in their efforts to facilitate credible elections. We’re committed to assisting the elections commissions, especially in their work for the presidential election. pic.twitter.com/T4C2Y6XNc3

On October 23, the United States Embassy in Lebanon marked the 35th anniversary of the attack by an Iranian-trained Hizballah terrorist against the U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 U.S. service members.

Today, we mark the 35th anniversary of the terrorist attack against the U.S. #Marines Barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983. 241 American marines, sailors, and soldiers died and 128 were wounded. Later in the day, 58 French soldiers were killed in a similar attack. pic.twitter.com/1vNmtsrSpY

35 years ago, 241 Marines, Sailors & Soldiers were killed in Beirut, Lebanon, by an Iranian-trained Hizballah terrorist. We’ll never forget these heroes who came in peace and gave their lives that awful day. pic.twitter.com/NtTnOTigVc

On October 26, Deputy Secretary Sullivan swore-in Ambassador Smith as Director in a ceremony at the Foreign Service Institute.

Amb. Smith: As the 21st Director of @FSIatState, I want to make @FSIatState even stronger -- that means delivering the best possible training to all @StateDept employees, whether Foreign Service, Civil Service, Locally Employed Staff, or non-career, & employees of other agencies. pic.twitter.com/aUiPppNB87

On October 24, the Department of State began a 12-day countdown to the November 4th Iran sanctions deadline.

.@SecPompeo outlined 12 requirements for #Iran's regime to act like a normal state. With 12 days to go before the Nov. 4 sanctions deadline, here’s a daily reminder for the regime, starting with #12: Declare prior military dimensions of your nuclear program & abandon such work. pic.twitter.com/J3kx947rE9

There are 10 days left before the Nov. 4 sanctions deadline, so here’s a reminder about the 10th requirement for the Islamic Republic of #Iran to behave like a normal state: The Iranian regime must provide @iaeaorg with unqualified access to all sites throughout the country. pic.twitter.com/RPmlVwSfSm

United States Welcomes Belgium Decision to Purchase F-35 Fighter Aircraft

In an October 25 statement, Spokesperson Nauert welcomed the Government of Belgium’s decision to purchase thirty-four new F-35 fighter aircraft. “The United States is proud of our enduring air partnership with Belgium,” Spokesperson Nauert said. “We look forward to continuing this partnership for many decades to come with the F-35 program.”

Secretary Pompeo commemorated the 20th anniversary of the signing of the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRF Act) into law on October 26. The Secretary noted, “The protection of religious freedom is central to the Trump administration’s foreign policy, and protecting this human right is an essential part of who we are as Americans.”

“Today, we reaffirm the inherent worth and dignity found in every person, who are endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Though the challenges to religious freedom are daunting, they are not insurmountable, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that all may enjoy this universal freedom.”

- Secretary Pompeo

United States Welcomes UN Designation for Violation of North Korea Sanctions

In an October 26 statement by Spokesperson Nauert, the United States welcomed UN designations of vessels SHANG YUAN BAO, NEW REGENT, and KUM UN SAN 3 for engaging in UN-prohibited ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum to North Korean ships.

"UN Member States are required to prohibit persons or entities subject to their jurisdiction from engaging in ship-to-ship transfers. The United States will impose sanctions on any individual, entity, or vessel supporting North Korea’s illicit activities."

- Spokesperson Nauert

Follow the State Department on Twitter and Facebook for additional information and updates.

On October 23, 1983, a suicide bomber drove a truck underneath the four-story building housing the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut and detonated 12,000 pounds of TNT. The explosion reduced the building to rubble and killed 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers.

Remember the Fallen

Today, we remember the 220 Marines, 18 @USNavy sailors, and 3 @USArmy soldiers who lost their lives in the Marine Barracks at the Beirut Airport on Oct. 23, 1983.

Today, we mark the 35th anniversary of the terrorist attack against the U.S. #Marines Barracks in Beirut on October 23, 1983. 241 American marines, sailors, and soldiers died and 128 were wounded. Later in the day, 58 French soldiers were killed in a similar attack. pic.twitter.com/1vNmtsrSpY

This week, on the 35th anniversary of the attack, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, joined leaders across the U.S government in remembering those who perished in the deadly attack.

35 years ago, 241 Marines, Sailors & Soldiers were killed in Beirut, Lebanon, by an Iranian-trained Hizballah terrorist. We’ll never forget these heroes who came in peace and gave their lives that awful day. pic.twitter.com/NtTnOTigVc

On October 25, President Trump, joined by Defense Secretary James Mattis, attended a reception commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the attack on the Beirut Barracks in the East Room of the White House.

Tonight, President Trump honored the 241 American service members who were killed 35 years ago in a terrorist attack on the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/VMmNOTikou